High School Reunion
by YourFavoriteCONTRACTOR
Summary: I've never really liked reunions,just take a look at my past and you'll see why.What about my own highschool reunion?No one's lived in Amity since it went up in flames...none but me,and then there's my lack of aging to worry about.I wonder how old Sam is.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, a little plot bunny of mine. Posted by popular demand. :P Oh well, lets get on with the story.**

Burning buildings, a verifiable hell. Everywhere you turned there was danger, and there was more coming, more and more pure overwhelming terror. The screams were horrible, to hear so many people dying without need, or reason, screaming for their lives, women children, men, elderly folk. Amidst the chaos no one noticed a lean pale-faced boy with raven's black hair and beautiful baby blue eyes running toward the oncoming threat. No one noticed but a young African male, and a Goth girl with tears in her eyes. No one caught the boy's last word to the two teens.

"I'll be back… it's ok, just leave for now, I'll be back." He had smiled what he hoped was an encouraging smiled before he ran away from his best friends. The two teens were drug away by their parents, another jump suited couple looking for a boy named Danny, their sister in tears as she watched a white-haired green-eyed boy glowing and flying up to face a threat. But no one noticed all this, they were too busy running from the threat that the white-haired super powered teenager was headed toward.

"COME ON!" the boy said taking a fighting stance in front of the threat. A blue flame haired ghost joined him along with several others. The people of Amity Park fled, or died, and they didn't return, not for nearly ten years.

**(Line break thingy that I do… yeah… so what do you think, remember to review!)**

Sam looked up from her book as a group of teenagers wandered into her store. Sam smiled and waved to them they wandered through the aisles looking for merchandise. A few minutes later they left their bags full of stuff from Sam's store, and Sam's register full of their parents hard-earned money.

Sam was twenty-eight now, she had her own franchise and ran her own business, a powerful CEO of an expanding company already. Extremely successful and still beautiful, Sam finished the chapter she was on then marked the spot cleaning and straightening up the store for the next girl who would come in. The girl who came in shared Sam's sense of style and took over for the next shift, Sam left to her apartment a couple blocks away. Sam may have been rich, but because of the twenty years she'd spent in her parents grotesquely overpriced house (she'd stayed two extra years to save money on a house while in college) she had enough of mansions and riches to last her a lifetime. Sam had moved away from Amity Park just after graduation when the town went up in flames, she tried to block out her memories of the place, tired to ignore the ache she felt in her heart whenever she remembered the place or the boy she left behind. Sam didn't want to think about it, not ever again if she could help it. Sam never wanted to return to Amity Park, but as she said so very long ago, never was karma's doorbell, this time, it was for her.

Sam got to her apartment dropping her stuff down on the bed and pulling out the mail she'd checked on her way over. A card labeled invite surprised her. Sam opened it not in the least expecting what was inside.

"You are invited to attend Casper High School's reunion for the graduating class of…" Sam glared at the note, reading where it was, when, at what time. Angry and suddenly sad she threw the letter across the room where it flipped very ungraciously onto the table. Why would they do this, most of the others that graduated with her didn't even know her, they never looked at her, never said hi, or anything. Why should she go, and why of all places were they having the graduation in Amity, the place was a ghost town in nearly ever sense of the word. Sam didn't want to go, didn't want to see the burned out shells of the city she called home for eighteen years of her life.

Sam walked away from the card without looking back; she fixed herself some dinner then took a shower.

"I'll be back…" echoed through her mind. Tears started streaming down her face mixing with the shower water. She couldn't do it, couldn't… but what if he was still there, what if… Sam shook her head and beads of water hit the shower curtain.

"I'll go to see Tucker…" Sam told herself, "I'm only there to see Tucker." She promised, but she knew she was lying. Sam turned the showerhead off and pulled her towel around her. Sam dried off and returned to the table glaring at the little table stand, as she got dressed. Finally unable to put it off much longer she went over and pulled the card off the bed stand and read over the information.

**(So… you like? I don't know… I both love it and hate it.)**

Tucker rubbed his eyes taking his glasses off as he read through the mail. Normally he would have let Jeremy (his electronic butler and house) take care of it. But the words on the card swam in front of him. The corn rose braids down to Tucker's shoulders clinking together as he reread the invite again, the soft glow from the lamp over the desk reminding him what time it was. Tucker had been staring at the card for almost three hours now. On the bed behind him a figure stirred.

"Babe?" a sleepy voice asked. Tucker turned to the sleepy figure.

"Yeah?" Tucker asked. The African American woman in the bed sat up.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" she asked.

"Checking the mail." Tucker said. The woman rubbed her eyes.

"Let Jeremy take care of it and come back to bed." The woman said, when Tucker didn't move she frowned.

"What's wrong babe?" she asked stepping out of bed her silky nightgown rippling in the breeze from the air conditioner. She came over and put her arms around Tucker looking down over his shoulder at the invite.

"High school reunion." Tucker mumbled still looking at the invite. Where they were having the reunion still evaded him, he was still sure it was a mistype.

"Amity Park?" Tucker's wife asked, "isn't that the infamous ghost town?" she asked.

"Yeah…" Tucker said looking at the invite.

"Are you going?" his wife asked.

"I'm not sure." Tucker admitted still reading the place, why, of all places why? He looked up at his wife. "Do you want to go?" he asked her.

"I think it would be fun." His wife said thinking.

"I'm just not sure about this." Tucker said.

"Well while you were busy worrying, I was going to give you a present." Tucker's wife smiled.

"Really, where is it?" Tucker asked, his wife kissed him for a while.

"It's in the bed."

**(Yeah… I need to give Tucker's wife a name, do you have any ideas? I need some ideas.)**

Paulina smiled at the camera both excited and scared about a certain piece of mail she'd been looking at all night. She couldn't wait to show her peers how successful and beautiful she's become. Paulina would flirt with everyone even if they were married, she was excited to do that, but the thing that disturbed her was the location. The camera flashed, and Paulina let her smile fall. Why would they have the reunion in the town most people had hoped to forget? Paulina wanted to know if it was still haunted. A face flashed in her mined, snow-white hair and neon green eyes. Paulina smiled again as the camera flashed. Yes, she'd flirt with everyone, including the ghost boy provide he was still there.

**(Ok… um… I don't know, line break thing, and WALNUTS)**

Valerie pointedly ignored the invitation on the table causing her boyfriend to pick it up and read it over. Valerie finished pulling of her suit and put on a towel getting ready to get in the shower.

"Hey, babe?" Derek asked looking over at Val, "Is this the same Amity Park that was a living hell almost a decade ago?" he asked the invite open and in his hands.

"Yes, the very same one I lived in for nearly all of my life through high school." Val said turning on the shower.

"'So this is the Amity Park that became a living hell for a day, while in the midst of the chaos a lone gh…"

"Ghost stood between the humans and the gates of hell sacrificing it's self for the lives of the humans." Val finished the quote from the famous article. She knew it by heart; she'd lost one of her only true friends in that fire. "Well, Phantom didn't save everyone." Val snapped, "He didn't save Danny." She said her hair getting wet and curly as she stepped into the shower.

"Hmmm…" Derek came into the bathroom leaning on the doorframe and looking at his showering girlfriend, "Danny," he said thoughtfully, "Should I be jealous." He joked; Val however wasn't in the mood.

"Of course not." Val said monotonously, "He's dead."

**(Yeah, yeah, I really don't know what else to do, Val still doesn't know he's secret so…)**

I looked up at my old high school. It was in mint condition, perfect, exactly how it had been before it had been burned down. After graduation, after my eighteenth birthday, the town had gone to hell. Almost everything had burned down; I was left, abandoned in an empty skeleton town for ten years. I looked up at the blue grey sky, clouds gathering quickly. I closed my eyes summoning the new power's I'd discovered over the past ten years.

"Danny?" I opened my eyes, she was perfect, my replica of my best friend, she was flawless.

"Are you ok dude?" Tucker asked coming up next to Sam. I smiled sadly.

"I'm great." I filled the streets with people; somewhere in the town there would be replicas of my parents, and sister, even Dash and Mr. Lancer. I'd discovered this ability not to long after I'd realized I'd been abandoned. I figured it was residue from the reality gauntlet, like the gems were just a vessel but the power had to go somewhere and it went into me. It was just a theory, but it sounded solid. I followed my friends to an arcade where they played, I just watched sinking into my fantasy as if it were real.

**(Yeah… so… Danny's side will be from his point of view, mostly because it's easier to write)**

Dash looked across the table at his wife. She knew he was cheating on her, but she didn't say anything, they had to be the perfect family, their four-year-old son depended on them. Dash didn't want to go to the reunion, but his wife insisted, saying it would be good for their son, and though the romance was gone from their relationship Dash still had a paternal side, so his son came first. His wife smiled a tight smile. Dash smiled back, remembering Paulina on the cover of one of the model magazines his wife read. Then he broke out into a real smile. At least one other good thing would come out of this.

**(Ok…. I don't know, just a line break… and onward!)**

Kwan pulled open the fridge looking at the scant food in the fridge. Ah… a teachers salary. He frowned and pulled out some ham and bread, he'd have to go shopping soon, he'd gotten his check in the mail today so he'd be good. Kwan ate the sandwich with a beer sitting down on the couch with mail and student's papers. He looked through the mail the invite surprising him as he opened it and read, his face became a mask of confusion. If nothing else Kwan would get away from his high school students.

**(Yeah, these are getting kindda small, but hey, they're minor characters.)**

Star groaned, she hated her office job, and hated her second job even more. She pulled a salad out of the fridge and ate it while looking at the mail. Star took one look at the invite and chucked it in the trash, not even wanting to think about that place. Later that night Star dug it out of the trash and read it before sighing and calling her boss.

"Yeah… it's me, yes… I'm gonna need some time off." She said then waited as her boss made up his mind and whether he knew it or not determined her fate.

**(Yeah, another one of these things, I would say something creative and funny in each one but I really want to get on with it.)**

I sat on the school clock tower looking out over my town. No living things stirred, nothing moved, no one breathed. I closed my eyes wandering the town mentally when I felt a presence, a human presence, and then another. I opened my eyes waiting and watching as two cars pulled up in front of the school. Curious and admittedly excited for some action, something to do I landed behind a tree and turned human. The thrill of being caught the most exciting thing that had happened to me in about a decade. To my surprise Lancer stepped out of one car, ex-principal Ishiyama out of the other. I watched my heart beating with tension, watching. Lancer surveyed the school.

"Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, I can't imagine why you'd want to have the high school reunion here!" Lancer looked up at the building Ishiyama looked at him.

"It's the last place that all the students were together, the last place they saw each other." Ishiyama answered. Reunion? I wondered. Lancer and Ishiyama went inside, I followed stealthily.

"I'm not sure of cobwebs and creepy violin music would make this place scarier." Said Lancer, "It's like it froze in time the morning the town burned down… come to think of it I didn't see that many burned buildings on the way in." Of course he hadn't, I'd been fixing it, I felt obligated to. I supposed this was my obsession.

"I wonder if my coffee cup is still on my desk." Ishiyama said the two humans looked at each other and went to the principal's office. Sure enough the coffee cup was there. Ishiyama picked it up in wonder, I watched from the door.

"There isn't even dust." She observed. I watched, "Like I just set it down and the bell is about to ring."

"Are you sure you still want to have the reunion here?" Lancer asked looking around clearly creeped out.

"Are you joking, if the rest of the school is in the same condition as what we've seen, why shouldn't we have it here?" Ishiyama looked determined.

"I was afraid you'd say that." Lancer said, he looked out the door, I froze. He looked at me his eyes growing wide, "HEY YOU!" he yelled running toward the door, I unfroze turning and running down the hall and turning around the corner my heart beating with fear and excitement at being discovered. I was laughing almost, it was a strange thing, I'd been seen, seen by a human, a human who knew me.

I jumped down the stairs that led outside and took a running leap into the air.

"Goin' ghost" I shouted then two white rings formed changing me into Phantom, I took of into the air turning invisible as I flew away. That… was the most incredible rush I'd had for a long, long time.

**(Line break, XP)**

Lancer nearly screamed as he saw the boy peeking through the doorway, his eyes taking in the scene.

"HEY YOU!" Lancer said, the boy at the door froze, Lancer started toward him and the boy turned and ran. Lancer was out of shape not even coming close to catching up. The boy was around the corner and toward the front doors Lancer barely catching the smile on his face as the boy turned the corner.

How many times had he see those eyes, that messy raven black hair, the simple white shirt and blue jeans running away from him to god knows where. Then the look on his face the determination, how many times had he seen that boy… but that was ten years ago, he couldn't possibly be alive now… could he? Lancer slowed making it to the door and opening it only to see the ghost boy turning invisible as he flew away. Lancer tried to catch is breath, winded from the run and completely overwhelmed by what he just saw. Lancer recalled to his mind the half crazy smile the boy had on as he turned the corner looking at him with a look of fear and excitement.

"Daniel Fenton." Lancer said to the air.

**(Ok, TACOS3 now that's done, this is a line break)**

I felt alive, more than I ever had for ten years, so alive. I laughed out loud, after years of being stagnant, living in a ghost town, I'd met another human, it'd been years, but finally someone had come back. And from the sound of it more were coming. I laughed again running on the side of a building before taking off into the sky letting my sell fall the doing a back flip and flying straight. People were coming, people I knew. I landed in my room changing back. My excitement quickly gave way to dread. People I knew were coming, I looked in the mirror remembering how old Lancer looked. I hadn't aged a millisecond, never mind ten years since the portal accident. People were coming, people like Sam and Tucker, who no doubt had moved on with their lives and were successful like my sister. I'd seen her on TV a successful brain surgeon and therapist. Jazz had written a book, she'd aged and she was living her life. Jazz even wrote an autobiography, while she'd talked about it on TV she talked about her amazing brother who'd died in the Amity Park Horror (it was such a cliché title they'd given the event) and had been brave and amazing.

I don't know if Jazz knew I was alive and just put that in the book so she wouldn't have to explain my situation, or if she thought I'd really died. I guess she thought that I'd follow them out, but for some reason I couldn't. Whether I couldn't bring myself to or I was bound to the city like a haunting ground I wasn't sure, I just didn't leave.

When all those people came back I'd be facing friend who had aged, grown old, gotten jobs, everything, without me. I was still fourteen, I defiantly acted like it, and they… if my math was correct were all twenty-eight or older. So how would I face a future like that, when I couldn't forget the past I looked out the curtain, Lancer was outside.

**(This is a line break, do not question it.)**

Lancer drummed his fingers on his steering wheel looking up at Fenton Works. Like everything else in the town it was a creepy good condition. Lancer thought he saw someone in a room, but couldn't be sure. He looked at the front door and debated going and knocking, but what good would that do. If everyone were dead, who would open the door?

Lancer looked up to see a curtain ruffle in the wind, or maybe someone had looked out the window. Lancer didn't want to find out he decided. He put the car in gear rolling down the street then going in the direction of the park. The retired teacher needed some air. It took about ten minutes to get to the park; Lancer closed the door and got out letting the car idle. A soft note hung in the air followed by the semblance of a song. Lancer bet he knew where it was coming from but didn't dare go back.

**(Doom di doom, doom di doom, doom.)**

I played the guitar Ember had given me. She'd thought it was a good idea to teach me to play guitar, and since Ember could be persuasive (cough, cough, violent) I had agreed, it wasn't like I didn't have any time to learn it anyway. I stared down an eternity as a fourteen year old. I had time. The song was a sad one, at least in my eyes. It had been popular a while back and at the moment I felt it applied to me. I played out "Forever Young" and closed my eyes feeling the music. Ember said I was getting good and she'd told me she'd teach me how to sing if I was interested. I had nothing better to do, but I wasn't sure what I'd sing… I really hadn't tired before, except in soft tones sung lightly at midnight while sitting in a tree thinking about my life, or in the shower when it didn't matter. Ember told me every musician needs to use their naturally born instrument, their voice. My voice could take out tanks though so when I pointed this out Ember laughed at me and said it was true.

I closed my eyes tighter fighting back a lump in my throat as I thought of Sam. I wondered how old she had gotten, if she'd gotten married, or had kids. I opened my eyes, the sun setting. I wished I could go back, go age and grow old with my friends. I wished the town hadn't been attacked, that I hadn't been left alone. I didn't know what I was anymore, a human in a ghost town, or a ghost in a human town. The last note lingered in the air as it vibrated through the town.

**Ok, tell me what you think! I've got to get some feedback here don't I? Anyway. Thanks to those of you who thought this story would be a good idea. And please review. Um… I don't know when this or any of my other stories will be up or updated I can't seem to post any new chapters or stories on and it's started to piss me off. So until then, I have a few questions.**

**How soon do you want me to have Danny meet the grown up Sam and Tucker? **

**Do you want Danny to go to the reunion?**

**Do you want Val to meet still fourteen-year-old Danny?**

**Do you want anyone else to meet forever-young Danny?**

**Do you like this story?**

**And, will you please review! *falls on floor and begs for reviews.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Acck, is being all somehow… Is anyone else having these problems, you do to upload new document and it just dies, freaking twitching on the floor die. I can't seem to upload, that's good news for writing but bad new to updating so ya'll can read this stuff. Anyway, chapter two of my little plot bunny.**

Sam packed her bags; everything in them was black, just like in high school. She frowned at the invite then stuffed it in her jacket pocket. She'd already cleared her schedule (the nice thing about being the CEO is that you could do that) and she had brought camping supplies. Sam planned on camping in her old mansion if it was safe enough, or in the park if it wasn't. Sam put the ecto gun in her coat, it was the only thing she really had left of Danny now, even her binder, that served as her photo album from back then, had been left at her house.

Sam took a deep breath hauling the bags to the car, most of it was food and camping supplies. Turning back around and locking the door she looked at the invite once more. If things went according to planed, Sam should arrive at Amity by tomorrow, in the evening.

Pulling out her keys Sam put them into the ignition and started her little compact car driving out of the city and back to a town she'd never thought she'd return to.

**(Yeah, another one of those line break things I'm too lazy to put in, so sue me. (Please don't I don't make any money of any of this and am pretty broke))**

Tucker pulled the time capsule up in his backyard. It was one of the few things he'd never forget. He opened it up, a small ecto gun was inside, then a picture of him Sam and Danny all laughing their arms over one another's shoulders. There was a Fenton Thermos among other things in it.

"Hey, babe!" Tucker's wife called, "Hurry, or we'll be late, you said you wanted to rent a hotel."

"Yeah, I'm coming." Tucker climbed into the drivers seat after stowing the time capsule underneath his seat, putting the lock back on it. He looked over at his wife and kissed her, "I distinctly remember you wanting the hotel room." Tucker smiled. His wife shrugged.

"Why you want to camp out in a ghost town is beyond me." She sighed, then smiled, "But at least I'll have you."

**(Sorry these things are kinda short but I'm trying to get everyone where they should be at the right time, and I still have to show off what Danny's been doing.)**

I opened my eyes the next morning, then summoned the replica's of my family, my mom coming in and waking me up. I smiled and hugged her surprising her thoroughly before she left to make breakfast, or rather pour a bowl of cereal. I made my way downstairs, Jazz getting into the shower as I went down. I smiled at my parents. Dad was working of an invention; mom was pouring milk into my bowl of cereal. I ate it and thanked her before leaving, letting the replica's fade away the shower turning off upstairs. I pulled the door shut not bothering to lock it because anyone who wanted to break in wouldn't be hindered by locked door. I closed my eyesand breathed in the morning air. A cool breeze brought memories of my past back. Everything had changed so suddenly, one day everyone was here, the next they were all gone. I'll never forget the horror the day after, those who hadn't made it out were dead, and there I was in the midst of it all, still very much alive. I was alive, while countless others had died, I couldn't save them all, perhaps it was my guilt holding me back, the fact that I couldn't face them, my parents. After all these years I toyed with the idea of going back, but they thought their son was dead, and they had finally found peace with that. I couldn't show up and ruin that for them now. Besides what would I say?

"Hi mom, hi dad, I'm sorry I've been hiding out in the ruins of my hometown this entire time, oh and by the way if you noticed I haven't aged it's because I'm half ghost, please don't tear me apart molecule by molecule…" yes because that would go over so well. I walked down the streets sighing. The town was almost finished; I had two more blocks to do. I'd do the penultimate one today, today then the final one tomorrow. I headed toward the edge of town; the last two unfinished blocks near the edge were sad and lonely looking. Hopeless pits of nothingness, bodies could still be there. I knew there weren't because I'd cleaned all the bodies out the first week, finding them all graves and putting them to rest. Most of them hadn't stuck around to become ghosts, but a few had. No one I knew thankfully, but plenty I didn't. They'd all moved on since, all but me.

I whistled, the sound would be eerie in the ghost town, just me in it, but I was used to the utter quiet now, the deathly quiet that gave a new meaning to "silent as the grave". Turning down the streets and making my way past shops, stores, and homes that were all in the same condition now as they had been the morning everyone had woken up, I shuddered. I knew why Lancer disliked it, the town, the way it seemed like everyone had fallen asleep but would be walking about in just a few minutes. Like someone had turned the town off, but with a flick of the switch it would be bustling with life again. It was creepy, lonely, and desolate, I could go on and on but the point has been made… I hope.

I picked up my pace running up the hood of a car and jumping off it.

"Goin' ghost!" I said turning into Phantom and flying to the last two blocks on the edge of town. I looped and flipped around running across the sides of the buildings and tumbling and performing acrobatics to the next. I pulled to a stop when I got to the last blocks left, sitting on the side of the building of the block across from the burned out shell. Taking a deep breath and composing myself I began to bend reality. The skeleton of the building regaining flesh and a face so to say, windows forming in newly created windows, the charred structure giving way to a new sturdier one. I created from nothing, well not nothing, the building had been there before, had existed once before, so I guess I was recreating. I looked at the building, the rest of the block assembling around it. If I was going to get out of here, I had to fix my town first. I didn't know what I would do once I was done, but I had only one more day to figure it out, whatever it was. The block was done on this side. I flew to the other side and began making changes, rebuilding the fallen structure. As the construction drew to a close I smiled. One more block, one more day, tomorrow I would come and finish it, the last block… the last one.

**(Ok… line break time…)**

Valerie looked at her boyfriend.

"Please Val." Derek said making puppy dog eyes.

"Ugh, why do you have to be such a paranormal junkie." Val sighed rolling over and looking up at the ceiling.

"Come one, I want to see the town where you grew up, I doesn't just have to do with the fact that Amity Park is ghost town central." Derek said rolling till he was hovering over Valerie and giving her puppy dog eyes.

"Fine." Valerie said. Derek blanched.

"Whoa, seriously?" he asked.

"Yeah, so stop nagging me." Val said. Valerie had agreed to go, but there was something else she needed to do there, a debt that needed to be paid… if the debtor was in fact still there. He hadn't saved Danny's life, so he would pay for it with his afterlife.

"Great, I'll pack the bags." Derek said having no idea about her hidden motives.

"Just you wait ghost boy, I'm coming for you now." Valerie promised.

**(Yeah… so another one of these things ok?)**

Star didn't live to far away; just a state or so over, she would make it in time for the reunion. She should anyway. Honestly Star didn't want to go, but something nagged at her to go, something told her she needed to. Star didn't want to listen, but she had a feeling she'd regret it either way. It wasn't like anybody's ghosts would be there, right? Star tried to convince herself of this fact, but remembering her life in Amity Park this wouldn't be so. Star gripped her bags angrily throwing them in the back of the car. The reunion wasn't till tomorrow, but Star wanted to be there to check it out before hand. Star started the car and began driving all the while knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel. She should arrive at about lunch, then Star thought, then she'd get a hotel nearby and attend, but… Star just had to see what had become of the town since she'd left, no human had set foot in there since the town went up in flames. Star wanted to see what had become of it.

**(Another line breaky thingy… yeah… enjoy)**

Kwan managed to scrape together some money, his teacher's salary didn't leave much room for any luxuries. Amity Park wasn't that far, so Kwan figured if he left early enough he could make it to Amity Park before lunch, it was in the same state after all, but the traffic was what worried him. Kwan wanted to see what became of the town little did he know Star did too. Arriving in Amity with a coffee high he parked near the Park and proceeded to wander around.

A petite statured boy sat at a table humming tunelessly. The boy had whit hair and was in a Hazmat suit. Kwan's memories recognized the figure bringing up images of the boy in battle, protecting his town. The boy didn't turn around.

"What are you doing here." Phantom asked almost exasperated.

"Uh… high school reunion." Kwan mumbled. Phantom laughed.

"I'd give anything to go to my high school reunion." Then Phantom turned his acid green eyes on Kwan making him shudder, "But when you haven't aged in fourteen people start to notice." He smiled sadly, "I was hoping to avoid all of you."

"Why?" Kwan asked brow furrowing in confusion, Phantom floated up from the table landing down in front of Kwan and taking in the 250 pound trim science teacher and football coach.

"People I knew, people I grew up with, so to speak, all gone and left me behind." Phantom shook his head, "All grown up, jobs, lives, while I've been here… I never thought agelessness would be such a curse." Phantom sighed, "I'll see you around Kwan." Then he flew away. Kwan watched the white haired boy leave, then he turned back to his car and turned it off.

**(Yeah.. so…. Any names for Tucker's wife yet, I can't go much further with out it.)**

I was sitting on a table in the park, that's when if felt it, a nagging presence in the back of my mind. Someone else had entered the town. I didn't move, what were the chances of the person being someone that knew Danny Fenton? I decided not to take the risk, but they'd probably think Fenton was a ghost anyway. But for good measure, I went ghost, issuing a semi silent goin' ghost. I sat at the table not really moving, humming a little really not too any song. The presence grew stronger and I heard a car pull up just outside the park. I heard footsteps. Someone froze behind me.

"What are you doing here?" I asked the intruder, why did they have to be here now?

"Uh… high school reunion." A voice answered. Must be my high school, maybe I'd go, the thought made me laugh.

"I'd give anything to go to my high school reunion." I turned to face the intruder, he shuddered, it half surprised me to see Kwan, but only half. "But when you haven't aged in fourteen years people start to notice." I tried to smile like it was a joke, "I was hoping to avoid all of you people anyway." I told him, not sure why I was sharing this with a guy who had stuffed my head in the toilet. I figured going ghost had been a good move now.

"Why?" asked my confused former tormentor.

"People I knew, people I grew up with, so to speak, all gone and left me behind." I shook my head, why couldn't he understand this, but then I supposed he wouldn't, he was the one still fourteen, "All grown up, jobs, lives, while I've been here… I never thought agelessness would be such a curse." I sighed sadly at this; I never really thought about living forever until then, and it seemed like such a drag, "I'll see you around Kwan." I told the man in front of me; I'd spilled my guts enough already. I headed toward my house again, another presence tickled the back of my mind, I ignored it favoring instead to playing another song on my guitar.

**(Ok… so any ideas yet for Tucker's wife's name? Tell me in your reviews)**

Kwan looked up hearing music, his thoughts jumped to Ember McClain, a popular musician a while back, why he wasn't sure. The song was sad, but vaguely familiar, like when you hear a song in your dream, and you swear you knew all the words, but when you wake up you don't even remember what song it was. Kwan lingered a little longer in the park then tried to track down the sound of the music.

**(Ja… so one of these things and yeah…)**

Lancer pulled into town rolling down his windows in case he heard that strange music again. The car rolled up by the park, however on the opposite side from where Kwan was parked. Lancer had indeed hear the music again, it was emanating from Fenton Works. Lancer didn't want to go see what had become of his former pupil, but from what he'd seen, he'd have to be a ghost. Danny's body had never been found, but that didn't mean anything did it, no one's bodies had been found, no one had come back to claim them. Lancer could only imagine the stink that filled the city after a week or so. Lancer looked around at the surprisingly well kept park. There were no remains, just leaves and grass.

Was it possible for someone to survive here for ten years? Lancer thought back to the Danny he saw in the school, come to think of it he hadn't had a ghostly glow like most ghosts, in fact he looked no different than he had the last time Lancer saw him, but then again most ghosts didn't age did they?

Lancer saw a car pull up and a petite blonde woman get out, she shielded her eyes against the sun. The woman noticed lancer and made her way to him.

"Hey Mr. L." Star smiled.

"Hello Ms… er… Star." Lancer said.

"Yeah…" she paused, "Do you hear that music I've been hearing it since we got here and I don't know if it's in my head or not."

"No, it's not, it's coming from Fenton Works." Lancer sighed, Star scrunched up her eyebrows.

"So do you think its…" Star let the end dangle not quite sure she wanted to complete the sentence.

"I hope not, for his sake, I hope not." Lancer said. The former teacher and pupil stared at the sky.

**(Ok, line break time…. Keep reading, keep reading)**

Kwan turned the corner the music growing stronger with each step. Sometimes Kwan would take a wrong turn and it would get quieter but now the music was so loud it had to be here somewhere. Kwan finally got to a point where the music was the loudest, but there was no one there, he looked around finally realizing where he was standing. He looked up at the too big sign and the odd attachment on the roof.

"This is Fenton Works." Kwan said aloud to himself, what else could it be, the sign did say Fenton Works after all. Heart pounding he turned the door knob, the music cutting off abruptly. A messy haired teenage boy with blue, blue eyes came down the stairs a guitar in his hands

"What are you doing here." Danny demanded, his eyes flashing green for a split second. Kwan couldn't tell if he'd actually seen his eyes change color or not, he didn't stick around to find out. Kwan was out the door and halfway past the park when he finally slowed down. Being a coach he had to keep in shape, but he hadn't run that fast for that long since he lived here, Kwan found that sort of ironic.

"Kwan?" A woman's voice asked, Kwan looked up.

"Star?" He asked.

"What are you running from?" Star asked confused. Kwan took a deep breath.

"Danny Fenton."

**(I WAS THE TURKEY ALL ALONG!)**

I felt another presence in my town, they were just full of them weren't they. I guess it was Lancer, the other had to be Kwan, I had no idea who the new one was. I kept playing my guitar bored with nothing to do, I supposed I could play pranks on the humans, but did I really want that? I sighed; I was halfway into another song when someone was in my house. Why were they there? I wandered down stairs expecting Skulker, but found Kwan instead. Did my past insist on smacking me in the face?

"What are you doing here?" I said angrily, this wasn't my day in the slightest was it? I glared at him, he ran away like he'd seen a ghost… I looked down, and my face went blank. Great, he saw Fenton. I looked back up, Kwan was already half a block away, I bet he hadn't had to run that fast since he lived in Amity Park. Oh, the irony. I laughed bitterly, why did this happen to me, I went back upstairs and finished the song.

**(ok, sorry that was a short little excerpt, but next is a little bit longer.)**

"Why are they having the reunion in the ghost town anyway?" Tucker's wife complained.

"I guess because it's the easiest and cheapest way." Tucker shrugged.

"Why couldn't it just be in California?" she asked while waiting in the terminal.

"You just want to stay home don't you?" Tucker asked, his wife smiled and rewarded him with a kiss.

"You know me to well." She smiled.

"Well, we're still going to have to drive a while." Tucker said.

"Yeah, Amity doesn't have a working airport does it." She sighed.

"Not for a while now, but that doesn't stop some from flying." Tucker smiled remembering his best friend… then he frowned, his eyes growing slightly misty.

"What is it babe?" his wife asked.

"Memories, nothing to worry about." Tucker forced a smile. His wife knew better than to press the subject, unlike some females that always want to know what's wrong. Don't get me wrong she was still worried, and wanted to know, but she'd find out things in time, Tucker would usually tell her eventually. Then again he had never told her about his other friend, there was Sam, then there was always a mystery boy in the background. Tucker's wife hoped she'd meet him at this reunion, but it was very possible he had perished in the fires, Tucker's reaction to anything about him certainly led her to believe so. But Tucker also insisted that his mystery friend was alive, or still existed.

"Babe?" Tucker asked breaking into his wife's mental rant.

"Oh, sorry, just spacey to day, you want to get some food?" she asked, Tucker smiled.

"_You_ know me to well." Tucker smiled. His wife nodded they got some quick food before their plane was to leave. Tucker seemed fine now to his wife, but, she thought, he was always really good at hiding his emotions, even if he was a terrible liar.

**(ok… no to Sam.)**

Sam sighed pulling up at the restaurant, it was a train car dinner like the one Tucker and Danny had eaten in with her when Freakshow had tried to ruin his life. That was fourteen years ago… Of course the dinner wasn't the same one but the memory of it was what inspired her sentimentality. Sam put the car into park and got out, she walked in taking a seat at the bar area and placing her order to the smiling waitress that rode up on really old-fashioned skates. A young African American couple sat in one of the booths, they were ordering ever piece of meat on the menu practically. Sam watched the man reminded her of Tucker, she kept glancing at him, the way he fiddled with a high tech PDA and they way he adjusted his glasses. A couple minutes later the waitress came back with her salad.

"Um… excuse me, I don't want ham on this, I'm an ultra recyclo vegetarian." Sam said trying to be polite. The girl seemed a little peeved about that but took the salad back.

"I haven't heard that in ages." The African man said in the back. Sam looked over at him.

"Really now?" Sam asked skeptical.

"Yeah, I had a friend a while back who was an ultra recyclo vegetarian." He laughed.

"Well I had a friend who was a meat conosour." Sam raised an eye brow getting suspicious, "I don't believe I caught your name."

"Tucker Foley, but you can call me TF for Too Fine." Tucker smiled, Sam's heart jumped.

"Still using that cheese pickup line?" She asked. If Tucker had any suspicions they were now confirmed.

"Nah, just with old friends Sam, you see I don't need to pick up any girls." Tucker smiled gesturing to the woman with him, "This is my wife, and partner for life."

"This is Sam?" Asked the woman.

"I am Sam." Sam said with a smile, nice to meet you.

"Come on Sam join us." Smiled Tucker. Sam nodded for old times sake.

"How's life?" Sam asked, "I heard you created that new phone thing that's out on the market."

"Yep, that baby made me a very rich man, as did my other inventions." Tucker smiled then held up his own phone, "How ever I saved the best for last." He smiled.

"Do you still have your old PDA?" Sam asked, Tucker nodded.

"Yeah, it's in the car in my time capsule, I probably still have the purple back gorilla stuff in there, at least we know we'll be safe it we run into Skulker." Tucker laughed.

"We'll be safe anyway, it's not like the town is without protection." Sam said, Tucker stopped laughing and looked solemn.

"Sam…" he started, his wife noticed the change.

"Tucker he promised he'd be back and I believe him, maybe he just can't leave."

"Sam, I know you want to believe he's still there." Tucker glanced at his wife, "But how can he have survived that long?"

"I don't know." Sam admitted. Tucker's wife looked at the two old friends.

"Is this the mystery friend I've missed so much about?" She asked. Sam and Tucker exchanged looks.

"His name was Danny." And that's all they said.

**(And… yeah… another line break thing, this should be the last one.)**

Valerie grimaced at the dinner.

"Couldn't you have picked a better place to eat?" she asked Derek, he smiled sheepishly.

"Come on train car dinners are amazing." Derek laughed and put the car in park then shut of the engine.

"Fine." Valerie crossed her arms entering; she noticed a couple in the back with a Goth woman. Her eyebrows rose, her mind jumping to Tucker and Sam, but what were the odds seriously. Valerie took a seat behind the odd group with her boyfriend.

"His name was Danny." She heard the African man and the Goth woman say, then the Goth woman changed.

"IS Danny, his name _is_ Danny." The woman said. Valerie looked up.

"Danny?" she asked causing the group to look over at her, "As in Danny Fenton?"

**Yes I got like two reviews on the last chapter, I'm going to dance now (not said with any sarcasm whatsoever) *does the carmelldansen. Yes!**

**Ok, to my reviewers.**

**Fan reader: Great, you're reading this, and you answered questions. I think that Sam and Tucker will meet Danny in the next chapter. Still playing with the reunion idea. I like angie though, I'll probably name her in the next chapter.**

**Frostphantom: I 'm really glad you like it. It makes me kinda sad though, longing for his past, and yeah… so enjoy.**

**Glad you two reviewed. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And Please keep reviewing. **


	3. Chapter 3

**First order of business: answers to reviewers.**

**Fan reader: yep, you did, I've decided to go with Angie after all. A little depression is always fun, it makes you want to read on but sad; it's an internal conflict thing. Sorry you got sick, but glad you could read.**

**Bubbace: Glad you like it, Glad that the characters are believable I thought Danny was a little OOC, but he's has "grown up" he's been abandoned long enough his personality has changed. I hope you keep reading and reviewing.**

**Huge DP fan: I must review? Or you must review? Or … O.o Please don't go into convulsions, here's the next chapter already.**

**Done already, while I don't like lengthy author's notes I'm just glad I got reviews. But after getting so many on my other story I'm not feeling the love… Oh well, the other one has been out longer… here's the next chapter.**

"Danny?" an African American woman asked looking at Sam and Tucker, "As in Danny Fenton?" She inquired.

"Valerie?" Sam and Tucker looked with shock at the woman.

"No, the red huntress, who'd you expect." Valerie asked.

"Actually Val considering that you use to be the re… OW!" Tucker was cut off when a loud thud and a glare from Sam.

"What he's saying is, no one has seen the red huntress since we left Amity Park." Sam smiled.

"You know Sam, while you may be a good liar and know how to keep your mouth shut, Tucker definitely does not." Valerie glared. Sam shrugged forcing a smile.

"Well, Tucker sure keeps his mouth shut about this mysterious Danny." An African American woman said.

"Sorry, this is Angie, she's my wife." Tucker said sheepishly.

"Wow you actually got married, you were such a ladies man back in the day…" then Valerie gave a fake cough, "Excuse me want to be ladies man." Tucker rolled his eyes.

"That was forever ago… come one, I only had my technology, besides I only have eyes for one woman now." Tucker stared lovingly at Angie.

"Oh I'm gonna hurl." Sam said.

"I see you haven't changed much." Valerie laughed, her boyfriend cleared his throat, Valerie turned to him, "Right, this is my boy friend Derek."

"Wow Val, are you sure you're life isn't too… how did you phrase it… complicated was it? For him to be a part of it?" Sam asked tone icy.

"That's not fair." Val said.

"You call breaking my best friend's heart fair?" Sam asked.

"Why didn't you just go out with him?" Valerie glared.

"I would have if I had a second chance at him… " Sam said she opened her mouth to say more but quickly closed it.

"I knew you liked him." Tucker smiled.

"Now is so not the time Tuck." Sam glared; Tucker raised his hands in a surrender position.

"Don't bite my head of, in fact don't bite anyone's head off, maybe you need more meat in your diet."

"Like that's gonna happen." Sam turned on Tucker, they started bickering, Angie turned to Val.

"Were they always like this?" she asked.

"Danny was the glue that held them together, the one that kept them from fighting, so mostly yes, but with a cushion in between really. They were good friends that trio, always closed off from everyone." Valerie was reminiscing.

"Why?" Angie asked, Valerie frowned.

"Not sure, they had a secret, but no one ever figured it out, and after the town burned no one wanted to think about it." Valerie said, "But back when the town was actually alive those three were inseparable, always getting into one form of trouble or another. Danny was always tardy and late, running out of class randomly, running and disappearing randomly. Sam and Tucker covered for him, Sam better at excuses than Tuck." Val smiled, "I think they thought it would go on like that forever. Just past graduation they were still up to their usual antics… until the town burned, and Danny died." Valerie concluded sadly.

"Wow, I wonder what it had been like for them?" Angie mused out loud.

"Freaking hard, that's what. Imagine one of your friend no longer being around, no longer seeing his face, his dorky smile, the way his eyes darted around the room as if looking for danger, the little quirk of his lips when sharing some insider's joke. The adorable naïveness and cluelessness, the endearing clumsiness and beautiful lies, all gone the next day with out even a chance to say goodbye." Valerie smiled sadly tears in her eyes, "if it was hard for me I can't have imagined how hard it was for them."

"You liked him didn't you?" Derek asked.

"He was cute, funny, nice, and adorably naïve, how couldn't I like him?" Val sighed, "I don't see why it matters now anyway."

"He said goodbye." Sam and Tucker said breaking out of their private conversation.

"I've regretted it ever since, I think knowing your best friend is doomed, and having to say goodbye to him while running in the other direction is worse than not knowing what happened, because then, you know exactly what happened. Well maybe not in detail, but you know how and why he died, damn that hero complex of his." Tucker growled.

"Tucker." Sam said warningly.

"Yeah, yeah." Tucker blinked away tears, it was uncommon for him to cry, but Danny… Danny was an exception, "He said he'd be back Sam, he lied."

"Tucker have you ever considered that he did come back, only to find an abandoned town? You ever consider once that he might still be there?"

"All the time, but what would I say? Oh, hi Danny, it's been a while, how has your life, been? Oh and by the way, for the last ten years I was sure you were dead." Tucker huffed, "For some reason I don't think that'd go over well."

"Tucker, we're talking about Danny here, I'm sure he misses us as much as we miss him." Sam said, the other watched this, Sam was talking like Danny was still alive, Tucker held it in his mind as a possibility, the rest of the group didn't know what to think, they all thought Danny would have to be dead.

"I know Sam, but think about it… how do we know he's even aged? For all we know, he's still fourteen, the same age he was when we left." Tucker said, Valerie looked at the two.

"Eighteen." Valerie corrected, "The town was attacked when we were all eighteen, barely out of high school." Tucker looked like he made a dreadful mistake.

"Slip of the tongue." Tucker forced out, Sam glared at him from across the table and began to dig furiously into her salad.

"You two are still hiding something aren't you?" Valerie asked, "Something about Danny."

"Why would you think that?" Tucker asked stuffing his mouth with a hamburger.

"You've always been a horrible liar." Valerie pointed out, Tucker shrugged it was true. Sam was still shoveling salad into her mouth.

"How could Danny not age unless he was a ghost?" Asked Derek, Sam hesitated for the slightest moment before continuing to eat as fast as she could without looking like a cave man… or Tucker.

"So… the ghost stories about Amity Park are real, even the one about the ghost boy?" asked Angie growing worried, to her regret Tucker didn't answer.

"Oh they're real alright," Valerie said gripping her fork tightly, the ghost boy, the reason she'd come, the reason Danny was dead, she would kill him, "Every last one of them."

"Ok, I'm gonna go… I plan on camping in Amity and hope to be home by sunset… so…" Sam drained her soda, "I'll catch you around."

"Why is she in such a hurry?" Asked Derek.

"Chances are she want to find Danny, ghost or not." Valerie said, "with ghost being the most likely." Tucker didn't answer but occupied himself with his burger, for the first time regretting it took so long to eat meat.

**(ok, line break thingy… so enjoy)**

Dash got tickets to the plane, it was only an hour or so flight, but nearly another hours drive to the hotel, then about two hours to get to Amity the next day. Dash sighed rubbing his neck, he'd been up all night making last minute reservations, and then Michael had gotten up with a nightmare and had spent nearly an hour keeping Dash awake trying to comfort the boy. Dash loved his son and all, but his patience was wearing thin.

"Come on Michael." Dash said as the four year old ran past him yet again, "It's time to go meet Daddy's friend." Dash sighed, "come on, you can do swimming when we get to the hotel." Dash bribed, the four year old smiled running up to his dad.

"Swimming?" he asked.

"Yes, swimming, we packed your swim suit and everything." Dash smiled at the four year old. Michael smiled.

"Ok daddy." Dash caught a glimpse of his wife, if there was one thing keeping them together it was his son. Dash picked up the boy tossing him over his shoulder, "Let go before the tickle monster wakes up." Dash smiled, then he wiggled his fingers like he was going to tickle the boy. Michael squirmed and laughed, Dash set Michael down before he could drop him. The boy ran out to the car jumping enthusiastically into his car seat. Dash then picked up the last of the bags and put them in the trunk then got in on the drivers side to drive them to the air port.

"Swimming, swimming, swimming." Chanted Michael in the back seat, Dash smiled at his son then put the car into gear.

**(Line break… yeah… keep reading now.)**

I flew around the town pretending I was on patrol with my two best friend below me.

"Danny, I don't know why you want to do this, we have to go to school." Sam said through the Fenton Phones I had manifested. I shrugged.

"Don't worry, we'll be back.." I said. Tucker snorted in the microphone.

"I remember the last time you said that." Tuck laughed. Actually, the replicas wouldn't remember the last time I said that, just the second to last.

"What ever Tuck, I did come back didn't I? " I reminded him.

"Come on Danny, your grades are already low as it is." I slowed Sam below me. I Dropped down beside her as she finished her sentence.

"I guess you're right." I agreed, "Lets go." She nodded I flew above her again. People looked at up at me as I passed. Sam was humming a song, it sounded like "Buried Alive" by Creature Feature. I sighed; I had actually liked that song when Sam was here. I took in the sights landing behind a tree and changing back coming out next to my two best friends. The school was busy, Dash noticed me and came over.

"You ready for your weekly beating Fenton?" he asked, I rolled my eyes, this is why I never 'played' school, because undoubtedly the sentient replicas still recognized themselves. That is what sentience means.

"Not really Dash." I said I looked away bored, "Should you go kick a puppy or something." I asked.

"Being smart with me?" he asked.

"You just think that because you are so dumb." I said, yes it was a horrible quip, but I really was a little lacking on my witty banter. I hadn't had to really fight ghosts since the town left, the only one I had to fight semi regularly was Skulker, who kept trying to steal things from my parent's lab, not that he ever succeeded of course.

"That's it Fenton you're going down." Dash swung his fist; I looked up my eyes glowing green with power. Dash's eyes went green then he ran away, into a tree, into Kwan, then he gave himself a wedgie, and danced a little, then Dash suck his head into a trash can and fell the rest of the way in. My eyes stopped glowing, Sam and Tucker looked at me.

"When did you learn to do that?" Tucker asked.

"Danny, what's wrong with you?" Sam scolded. I shrugged.

"I'm not going to spend the rest of my life being tortured by him." I stated. Tucker looked at me.

"But _how_ did you do that?" Tuck asked.

"Practice, Vlad was right about having more years of it you can discover all kinds of tricks." I sighed hating that I was talking about Vlad. I looked at Tucker, he gapped.

"What?" I asked.

"I… uh. Well… I had no idea ghost's could do that, what other powers are you hiding?" Tucker asked. I looked at him debating whether or not to answer, when I felt a presence in my town, and not just any presence.

"Sam?" I looked up a the sky. She was here, not just her replica, Sam, actually here in the flesh, alive…

"What?" Sam said angry at me, then I looked at her.

"Uh… sorry about this." I said they faded, all of them, every one of the people in the t own I had manifested. Leaving it empty and devoid of life. I flew up into the air looking at the car driving thought the streets. I went to the power lines charging them so her house would have power. I closed my eyes lighting the town with electricity. This was it, if would finally see her again after all these years… she was twenty-eight though. I was too technically but… I hadn't aged. I flew to the park and sat in a tree closing my eyes feeling her energy. Sam… Sam.

**(Yeah… line break)**

Sam drove into town as she go to the buildings she was surprised to see people, wait was that Spike, he still looked fourteen. Sam gapped and looked around, there were people here, they weren't even ghosts, they were alive.

"Sam?" the words echoed in Sam's mind. She tensed up.

"Danny?" she asked, no answer, but after a couple seconds the people around the town winked out of existence like dying lights. Sam freaked out nearly drove into the sidewalk. She kept driving as if nothing had happened. The sun was actually higher than she thought it would be, but then again she had driven like a bat out of hell as soon as she got past any signs of civilization, it was barely two thirty.

Sam gripped the steering wheel as she came into town, her knuckles turning white with the effort. She pulled up to the mansion. Stepping out and setting her hand on her ecto gun she opened the door using the key, the door opened soundlessly. Sam peered inside, the place was perfect… too perfect. The door closed and Sam walked up the stairs to her room looking around. The room hadn't been touched, it was exactly how it had been when Sam had last seen it. Reaching under the bed for her photo album Sam was surprised to find no dust on it. She flipped rapidly through the pages, tears coming to her eyes. There was Danny, then Danny and Tucker having a food fight. Danny, Sam and Tucker in eighth grade. Tucker and Danny on the first day of high school making faces. Danny in front of the portal holding a mostly white and black jumpsuit. Danny floating in front of the portal the colors on the jumpsuit from before reversed, a DP on the front. Danny saving kids in a bus. Tucker with Danny at the Mall stuffing food into their faces. Tucker and Danny hugging. Sam and Danny hugging. Sam and Danny sleeping on each other on a bus ride. Tucker sleeping with his PDA clutched to him like a baby. Danny staring a the stars in a tree. Tucker spraying shaving cream at the camera. Danny as Phantom having a food fight with Tucker. Sam sleeping clutching a stuffed Alucard. Danny on graduation looking fourteen still. Danny smiling at the graduation dinner with their families. Tucker making a face at Danny. Tucker with gravy all over his face looking far older than Danny. Danny spraying Tucker with a squirt gun… why did Danny still have to look so young. The three of them arms around each other like in eighth grad smiling, Danny still not aged. A picture of the first fire, a picture of Danny flying toward it. Then nothing. The rest of the pictures were still in the camera. Sam looked around for the camera, it was tossed on the floor where she'd left it when she'd run upstairs to grab some clothes and get out of there.

"There you are." Sam said her voice sounding echo-y in the empty house. Sam picked up the camera and looked at it, surprised it still had battery. The next pictures were horrible, people screaming and dying. There was even a video, Danny flying people out of the blaze, trying to put the fires out. At the very end of the video he looked at her.

"RUN!" he yelled then looked up, some ominous clouds were gathered around. The video stopped after focusing back on Danny his child like eyes wide with fear.

"Oh Danny." Sam sighed. He was so young… he was eighteen in the video, but he still looked fourteen. Sam looked at the camera till it went black in auto shut down. Then Sam crawled on to the bed and closed her eyes, her heart pounding as she recalled the events of that day. Why? Sam asked herself, why did it have to happen.

**(ok… next!)**

Tucker pulled into town around sunset, a beautiful melody drifting through the air as he got closer to the center of town. What was that?

"Babe?" Angie asked looking at Tucker, "I'm getting a little freaked out." Tucker took one hand off the wheel to rub his wife's back. Navigating through the streets to his house Tucker sighed in relief and sadness as he came up to his old house.

"Here we are." He said, corn rose moving across his shoulders as he looked up a the building. Angie shivered, Tucker patted her arm and got out. Angie followed closely the hauntingly beautiful song in the back ground scaring her. Tucker opened the door, the lock undone as it was left. He looked inside the house… how could it be in such perfect condition? Tucker asked himself, there wasn't even dust. As if drawn by a string Tucker went to his old room. One of his old PDA's laid on the table halfway disassembled, it had gotten jammed up the day before the fires and he'd been fixing it when he ran out of the room. He'd only come back for clothes and a small lunch box that now resided under the drivers seat.

"This is creepy." Angie said, she looked around, the picked up a picture frame from his bedside table, "Is this Danny?" she pointed to the boy in the picture. Black hair, beautiful blue eyes, and a kinds smile on his face Danny stared back up at her.

"Yeah." Said Tucker trying not to choke up. He took his wife's hand, "come on, there's something I have to see."

**(Line break, would say something random, but must keep typing.)**

Sam awake with a start, it had gotten dim, the sun going down. Forcing herself out of bed Sam went downstairs and got into her car starting it and driving slowly to her destination. Put the window she heard a strange tune, beautiful, but strange. It was coming from the park, Sam didn't dare follow the noise though, she had only one destination in her mind at the moment.

The building loomed in front of her, taunting her with its perfection. Empty of course, but looking like it had just been left not two minutes ago, just like the rest of the town. The people she saw at the beginning of her journey coming to mind. Sam shivered and not with cold. Sam came up to the building, idling in front of it for a minute she pulled the key out of the ignition and walked up the steps to the door.

The doorknob turned easily in her hands. Sam stared into the house, the eerie feeling of time just having stopped still around her. There was no noise, no nothing, Sam didn't know if that scared her or not. Taking a deep breath she ventured upstairs. Danny's room was just right there. Sam thought, just right there, ten years ago Danny slept in that bed. Sam couldn't bring herself to enter… not yet, so instead she went to Jazz's room. Bearbert Einstein on the bed, a stack of papers on her desk, everything neat and tidy, just like Jazz.

Sam stood awkwardly in the room before leaving, going to Danny's parent's room. She looked inside; it was messy, yet with organization if that made sense. There were gadgets here and there, but most of the clothes and stuff were actually folded or hung in the closet, granted most of the clothes were orange and blue jumpsuits. Sam smiled sadly wonder what happened to the rest of the Fentons not for the first time either.

Sam waited a while then she too left this room. Standing in front of Danny's door she debated knocking or not. What if Danny was indeed still there, what would she do? What would she say? Sam opened the door, no Danny, her heart fell, she surveyed the room, it didn't look how he left it, and it looked clean. His bed was made, his clothes put away, things were organized not just haphazardly cleaned using ghost rays as he usually did.

Sam laid down on Danny's bed, it still smelled like him. She missed that smell, the smell of Danny; Sam hadn't even realized how much she had missed it until it was back. It made her feel whole, Danny… she thought, Danny. She closed her eyes pressing her face to the sheets, the blankets and his pillows. If Danny were there, Sam mused; he'd probably call her a stalker, and pretend to run away before coming back with a crooked grin.

"Oh… Danny, I've missed you." She said like he was there, even if he wasn't, she couldn't help it. Sam hadn't seen Danny in forever, she didn't even know if he was alive. Sam just thought if Danny had died, she would have felt it. Like the world would be a lesser place, her life certainly had when Danny disappeared.

The door downstairs opened and closed, Sam jumped off the bed practically flying down the stairs.

"DANNY? DANNY? DA…" Sam broke off when she saw Tucker and Angie in the doorway. Sam blushed a brilliant red, Tucker looked away rubbing the back of his neck.

"I… uh… thought maybe…" Sam said a tear rolling down her cheek, she quickly wiped it away.

"I know." Tucker nodded. He looked around the place, "This seem weird to you, the way nothing has been disturbed?" Tucker asked. Sam nodded.

"It seems like Clockwork, but I don't think it is him… if he timed out the entire town we would have froze when we got in the city limits… right?" Sam asked aloud. Tucker nodded.

"Right… so it's probably some other ghost."

"Do you want to…" Sam gestured to the kitchen. Tucker nodded.

"I want to see if it's still working." Tucker said, his wife just looked around wide-eyed not sure what was going on. The trio went to the kitchen then down to the basement, the eerie green glow of the portal lighting up the room. Tucker flicked on a light. The basement was a little more organized as well, weapons hung on walls, and new weapons the two old friends had never seen before on the table. The door upstairs opened and closed.

"SKULKER I SWEAR IF THAT'S YOU!" Danny's voice echoed down the stairs. Sam and Tucker grabbed each other, "THE LAST TIME YOU TIRED TO STEAL OTHER'S TECHNOLOGY YOU ENDED UP HAVING TO STUDY PURPLE BACK GORRILAS FOR A MONTH!" despite the situation Sam and Tucker snickered, leaving a vey confused and scared Angie out of the loop. The soft foot falls started down the stairs, "YOU BETTER NOT BE STEALING… OR RTHER ATTEMPTING TO STEAL ANY OF MY PARENT'S THINGS!" Danny's voice was a the top of the stairs now, "I'LL GIVE YOU TEN SECONDS TO KEEP FROM GETTING YOUR BUTT KICKED ST…." the black haired teen stopped at the bottom of the stair's eyes bugging out at the sight of Sam and Tucker, "Oh crud."

**(Yeah, next!)**

I came home, I had the feeling there was someone in the house. Small noise from downstairs confirmed it. Great it was probably someone to steal my parent's crap again. I rolled my eyes.

"SKULKER I SWEAR IF THAT'S YOU!" I yelled, he was the worst about trying to take my parent's things, I thought of something that might dissuade him "THE LAST TIME YOU TIRED TO STEAL OTHER'S TECHNOLOGY YOU ENDED UP HAVING TO STUDY PURPLE BACK GORRILAS FOR A MONTH!" Actually I bet if Tucker were around he'd be studying them again for another month, nothing like watching a gorilla majestically scratch his butt or rather her butt, "YOU BETTER NOT BE STEALING… OR RTHER ATTEMPTING TO STEAL ANY OF MY PARENT'S THINGS!" I fixed my sentence since he'd never actually succeeded in stealing anything. I gave him a change to get lost., "I'LL GIVE YOU TEN SECONDS TO KEEP FROM GETTING YOUR BUTT KICKED ST…."I cut off my words abruptly upon seeing Sam and Tucker in the lab, I said the only words that could come out of my mind, "Oh crud."

Tucker and Sam gapped at me I gapped back, they were… old, nearing their thirties, ugh, stupid not aging thing. There was another woman with them, an African American woman that hid behind Tucker. Sam took a step toward me as if to make sure I was real, I had actually hoped to avoid this whole thing and I froze.

Acting purely on instinct in the most animalistic way I bolted up the stairs, nearly tripping once then getting the door open only to have my foot grabbed, I tried to phase out of the hold only to find it unsuccessful. I looked back Tucker had on the ghost gauntlets and was holding onto my food. Doing something completely out of character I actually hissed at him tugging harder. With him tugging back on my foot we slipped down a couple steps, I was prone trying to hold onto the steps above me. Tucker grabbed my other foot making me loose hold of the top step.

I slid down a few steps before grabbing a hold of the railing and tugging up. I felt a pressure on my back and saw Sam with the Fenton Fisher. Sam tired to pry my hands off I growled at her and started cussing as she got me to let go. Tucker then reached up letting go of one of my feet, I used the opportunity to kick him, he grimaced in pain but didn't let go instead grabbing one of my hands and pulling me down till he could grab the other. Sam started wrapping the line from the Fenton Fisher around me, then once my arms were secured to my sides she brought out a chair and tied me down to it.

Still struggling I futile tried to go intangible to get out, but of course it didn't work. I hissed like an animal angry and getting angrier. I looked wildly around for an escape. I looked up at Tucker my eyes glowing powerfully green, Tucker then started to walk toward me to untie me. Sam grabbed by face forcing me to look away from Tucker and essentially break my hold I looked at her eyes glowing green hissing, and cussing, growling and struggling against the line that had begun to cut into my arms with my desperate jerks. I couldn't face this, not yet not yet. I pulled harder Sam still held my face, eyes boring into mine. I noticed the compassion in them, the fear, relives, sadness, and ever so slight exasperations. I slowed my struggles down. I closed my eyes refusing to look at her, Sam may have gotten older but her eyes were still the same soft, caring purple eyes I always loved.

I blocked them all out weakly pulling at the bond by now. Why me… no why now? I opened my eyes tears in them, they were baby blue again.

"You've changed." I said looking at Sam, she had, she'd changed a lot, grown up without me, left me behind. I felt so lost, wanting to tell her what I'd discovered and betrayed by the fact she grew up on me. I knew it wasn't like she could change the fact, but it still could take it. I couldn't face this, not now… but if I didn't do it now, when would I?

**Third chapter, who knew Danny would put us such a fight? I feel so bad for him, forever young, I can only barely imagine how bad it was for him, so I'll have to do my best to portray that as the writer of this Fan Fic. So enjoy and most of all REVIEW!**

**The following button will make the author very happy, so happy the author might even give out free cookies! So review!**


	4. Chapter 4

Ok so struggling against really thins semi sharp wire with a passion and hissing at my best friends probably wasn't the best idea… but honestly you stay the same age and then have your friends grow up around you and not want to face the idea that you're still freaking _fourteen._ Sam looked at me curiously. I looked up at her.

"I can honestly say that I have not aged anymore than Tucker gave up meat at anytime during the past ten years." I said. Tucker was pacing, I looked over at my friends who had tied me to a freaking chair, "No that you have me, what are you planning on doing with me?" They stayed silent.

"Come on, you have to give me something to quip off of, or I'll just start making fun of your hair… that and the fact you actually seem to have a wife. You were always a ladies man." I could tell I was getting under Tucker's skin, "I just hope you didn't have to sing to her." I smiled, "She might have run screaming from the room."

"Danny would you grow up." Tucker said exasperated, he thought this would be easy didn't he. I let the false smile fall from my lips and I looked at him coolly.

"I believe we've already established the fact I cannot, otherwise we wouldn't be here like this." I said it coldly, from a distance. I couldn't help the fact that they were fourteen years older than me anymore than they could. My childish quips were part of my charm.

"You know what I meant." Tucker said looking very parental all of a sudden, I raised my eyebrows.

"Who died and made you my dad…" I looked away, "Don't answer that I don't want to know." Sam sighed kneeling in front of me.

"Danny?" she asked. I looked back at her, her eyes, which were the only thing familiar in her adult face. My heart clenched.

"Yeah?" I asked swallowing the lump in my throat.

"What happened?" Sam asked, I closed my eyes.

"I kicked ghost but as usual and came home to a town empty and barren, bodies pilled sky high, buildings in ruins, everything was gone, dead, destroyed or abandoned. I was left alone… alone in the aftermath of hell." I didn't open my eyes, "I had to take care of all the bodies myself, then I've been here ever since… seems fitting doesn't it, my obsession… as a ghost, my town." I laughed bitterly.

"He's a ghost?" The other woman asked, I looked at her.

"Boo." She jumped a little and held onto Tucker, "You forgot about me… no you chose to forget, ignore that I ever existed… not that I can't blame you, if I were you I'd want to forget me too." I looked at Sam, "You wanted to forget, but felt like you were betraying me to do so, that's why you were the first to come here, driving like a bat out of hell I believe." I blinked at her, "You wanted to prove I was still alive," then I looked from Sam to Tucker then down at my lap, "But neither of you could talk about me, it was too painful for you."

"Well did you talk about us?" Tucker asked kind of childishly, I looked up at him.

"To who? Ember… she really dislikes humans, and since she knew you were adults, well she hates adults to." Then I cocked my head, "Youngblood like the stories of what we used to get ourselves into, but he got bored of it after a while, Skulker still wants to skin me and adorn his fireplace with my pelt… or the foot of his bed… he still can't make up his mind, it's a good thing he's not an interior designer."

I sighed, "Spectra would just feed off the misery I had from missing you, Johnny and Kitty are not the kind to associate with kids," I thought, "Clockwork would listen but I haven't really left Amity Park, Vlad isn't around here anymore, don't know if he's alive or dead, I stopped watching TV a while back."

Then I looked up at the ceiling, "Um… Frostbite listens sometimes when he comes over, but he doesn't very often, lets see… Dora listens to… Pandora has only been here once since and that was because of a minotaur problem, Nocturne doesn't like me, Amorpho promised he'd stay away, but I'm not sure if he hasn't been around.

"Ghost dog just wants to play fetch, but I do talk to him, lets see… Vortex is still with the Observants, Danni stops in every now and then, she likes to hear about you guys, um… Technus… well he's still so lame, and the box ghost just comes around to hang out in the old box store, I have to keep replacing the boxes to keep everything perfect… lets see…Poindexter is till chilling in the fifties, and Walker pretty much keeps to the ghost zone.

"Desiree hasn't really been around since everyone left, I did see the Dairy King a couple years ago… the Ghost Writer is still sore at me. The lunch lady is still pissed off that there is no more lunch; I have to keep fixing the school cafeteria… it's not like the ecto-pusses really talk, and I haven't seen the ghost vultures since Vlad left… Um…"

"Ok, we get it." Tucker finally said cutting me off. I looked at him, "What have you been doing all this time."

"Rebuilding the town, it's more of a duty really, or maybe it's like unfinished business people are always going on about. What ever it is, I need to finish it."

"Dude, that'll take you another year." Tucker said looking at me, I looked up at him.

"Not really, just a couple hours or so… what?" I asked, Tucker started thinking about that.

"But... you'd have to have the reality gauntlet to do something like that."

"Tucker have you ever heard about that one law… oh what was it... matter cannot be created or destroyed only transformed… or something like that." I said, "Well I figured it's kinda the same with the power in the gems… the gauntlet was just a vessel, and once the vessels was destroyed, the power had to go else where right? Too the nearest ecto powered thing… which just happened to be…"

"You." Sam said her eyes lighting up. I nodded.

"Me." I looked up a the ceiling, "The thing about it is I could live my dreams, any of them, I could probably have made myself grow older, but something about the town drew it to me first… I'm not sure how to explain it, but it must be the ghost in me." I looked at Tucker's wife, "You don't understand a word of what's going on do you?" She shook her head, I laughed, "Then you can continue thinking I'm a ghost." I smiled.

"Wait you're not a ghost?" she asked her eyebrows scrunching up, I didn't have to answer because someone was up stairs. I checked it out.

"Valerie." I said, Sam and Tucker looked at me, "Does my past insist on biting me in the butt?" I head Valerie coming down the stairs, oh this should be fun.

(If you like this story check out: Watashi wa yurei desu, Watashi wa ningen desu)

Valerie sighed driving into town, her boyfriend hummed looking out, they almost passed Fenton Works.

"Whoa!" Derek said looking at it, "Slow down, slow down." Valerie pressed down on the break.

"That's Fenton Works." Val said.

"I know." Of course he did, he researched everything he could find about this town, he was such a supernatural junkie, "Can we go inside?"

"I doubt it's even open." Valerie said rolling her eyes. Derek gave her puppy dog eyes, Val sighed, "Fine, we can go check it out, but if it's locked we leave." Derek smiled. Val turned the corner and pulled up to the house. The couple got out, Derek rushing to the door and turning the knob.

"Whoa… freaky." Derek said, "It looks like people lived here yesterday. Valerie's senses went into overdrive, the bio-suit that she'd gotten years ago was ready to come out.

"Derek. There's a ghost in the house." Val said, "Get behind me, don't make a sound, and keep your hand on my shoulder the entire time." Valerie heard noise downstairs. Something told her it was the ghost boy. She opened the basement door and went downstairs, stopping stunned at the scene below her.

(Sorry that was so short, just had to Val and Derek to the house)

I looked up at Valerie wondering what she was thinking, finding me there like that, probably along the lines of GHOST! But honestly who know.

"Hi Val." I said cheerfully, "You gonna untie me or what?" I smiled. Val just gapped.

"Don't do it, he'll run." Sam said looking at Valerie, I stuck my tongue out.

"So… it's note every day that you're best friends tie you up." I sighed. Valerie was still gapping.

"But… you're dead." Val finally spat out.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Danny, I presume." Said the man behind her, I looked up at him curiously, did every one have a partner?

"In the flesh, you gonna untie me?" I asked hopefully.

"I'm not sure." The man replied.

"Don't trust him, he's a ghost." Val said suspiciously, "We don't even know if that's Danny."

"You dumped me before we were even really going out because of your stupid ghost hunting job… oops." I said, "You weren't supposed to know I knew." I blushed. Val looked unsure.

"You knew about that?"

"Honestly Val, when Tucker fell on you did you think it was an accident?" I asked. Valerie pondered this.

"You used to hunt ghosts?" asked the man behind her, Val looked at him sheepishly.

"Uh… yeah, ever heard of the red huntress?"

"That was you?" The man blanched.

"Yeah, while I'm sure you two would love to hear everything that she did, I'm really uncomfortable here." I told them. Sam and Tucker looked at me.

"Promise you won't run?" Sam asked. I nodded.

"I promise I won't _run_." I said with a smile.

"Or fly, or walk through the walls, teleport either." Sam scolded.

"I still haven't learned how to do that trick." I sighed, "Fine I promise." Sam sighed untying me.

"How are you bleeding?" asked Val.

"Because I'm human." I told her.

"Then how can you fly?" Val asked growing confused, I sighed.

"Because I'm a ghost."

"But you just said…"

"Danielle." I only said, then waited for her to put it together. I watched as a light bulb came on over her head. "It's time you knew." I said looking away going and fiddling with one of the ghost weapons on the table, putting pieces of it in.

'That was you the entire time." Val gapped mouth moving like a fish.

"Yeah… kinda funny isn't it?" I asked, "You hate one of me and crush on the other, its quite the dilemma isn't it."

"It's weird to hear something like that coming out of the mouth of a fourteen year old." The other woman said.

"I'm actually the same age as Tucker." I told her, "Ghosts don't age, but all the free time on my hands has given me time to contemplate things. Like what I'd do if I ever met any of my friends again, or even if they came here, which I admit I didn't expect." I shrugged, "honestly I'd like to pretend this was all a dream and I'd wake up the next morning back in my bed the day before graduation… but the ache I feel every day in my chest reminds me that it's not so." I closed my eyes. I really didn't want to be here right now. I opened them and stared back at the table.

"What are you talking about?" the man asked. I looked up at him.

"I'm Danny Fenton, I'm half ghost, and I have lived in this town for twenty-eight years." I said simply, "I have been dreading and wishing for this day, yet it never really turned out how I imagined it. The conversations I had with the Sam and Tucker replicas really can't compare."

"Replicas? You replaced us?" Sam asked offended.

"No… not really, I relived the days when you were here, not really replaced." I told her. Sam sighed.

"That's not healthy." Sam told me.

"Nothing has really been healthy for me." I sighed. "But… I got to go. So I'll catch you later." I smiled, "Goin' ghost." I let the rings form and jumped off the ground floating before them, "Oh… and I'll say it again, that wasn't my dog, and I really am sorry, maybe you'll believe me now." I phased out of the basement and all the way to the op center floating above it for a minute before flying downtown to sit on a building and sulk.

(Ok… next!)

Tucker watched his friend go out, he was so young, yet so old. Like he'd grown up but had stayed young… it was a strange thing to hear him talk, he was childish at first, then he became more mature. He still held onto his childishness even though he had grown old, if not physically then mentally. Something was different in Danny whether it was being left behind or whether it was seeing Tucker and Sam again Tucker didn't know. He looked over at the new guy. The guy was gapping at the spot where Danny had left.

"Was that?" the guy asked leaving the end open.

"Danny Phantom." Valerie said.

I'm just going to leave it there, muhwa ha ha, I'm evil. I have writers block so, that's kind of why I left it there, that and because I have to type up the whole fifth chapter to another one of my fan fics, because my back up jump drive broke to… I don't even know how it happened. It was in my lap top, then I moved my lap top, and some where along the way the while it was in the computer it got bent the end all sticking up, the little plastic part kind of broken. I'm not sure how that happened but it did, now I'm torn between strangling the computer or going to my room and never coming out again, so I'm sorry for the short chapters and slow updates. I'm also running out of the time I'll be able to type all this stuff so... yeah. I guess that's it. R&R.

Click the button below, do it, you know you want to!


	5. Chapter 5

HSR 5

Wow, I got an awesome amount of reviews. I feel happy.

I sighed landing back in front of my house, Sam was up in my room on my bed, Tucker was in the living room watching TV with is wife. Valerie was pacing stunned in the kitchen, her boyfriend or husband ( i wasn't sure which, I hadn't seen a ring so I assumed boy friend, but you know what happens when we assume…) was watching her. They were all waiting for me to come back. Still Phantom I phased back inside and changed back all eyes were on me Val coming into the living room, Tucker and his wife looking up. I sighed.

"So… I left kind of dramatically before so… I thought I'd come back, I owe you all answers to questions." I looked down sheepishly.

"How?" Valerie asked, I looked up.

"How what?" I asked confused, how did I survived, how stay sane, how did I become half ghost, how did I like my eggs?

"How did you become half ghost?" Val asked, I sighed.

"Remember the accident?" I asked.

"When you're ghost portal first exploded… yeah." Val nodded.

"Well it turned on while I was inside it." I said, "I'm still not completely sure how it works, I have a few theories, but nothing conclusive, nothing I can test anyway." I sighed, "Long story short I went in, got zapped, and came out half ghost."

"Why didn't you come back?" Tucker asked.

"I don't know, I'm not sure exactly. After the battle I felt I had to stay, like I couldn't leave, I've never tried to leave before so… " I looked way, "I don't know." Tucker sighed.

"So… if you're half ghost, you're also half alive." The guy Valerie was with asked.

"Give the man a prize." I said sarcastically.

"Danny?" I looked up, Sam was at the top of the stairs, my heart ached. Why? She was still so beautiful, after all these years, and here I was twenty-eight in life, but fourteen in body.

"Sam." I sighed. She came down the stairs giving me a hug, taller than me. I awkwardly hugged her back, it was like hugging my mom, or an aunt, but at the same time I was hugging the girl I'd loved… still love.

"You're alive." She breathed pulling back to her full height pushing strands of black hair behind her ears.

"Yeah… sorta." I said. My heart was pounding. I was still expecting Valerie to jump me any second.

"Ok, when you said replicas…" Tucker left the end of totally ignoring the weirdness between Sam and me.

"I manifested life size, fully functional, sentient beings that looked, acted and for all intents and purposes were my two best friends." I sighed rolling my eyes.

"That's just creepy." Tucker said, I shrugged.

"It kept me sane." I sighed. "If I had to endure day after day, month after month, year after year, especially knowing that I could indulge myself in a fantasy of my own creation, and not have been able to, then I would have gone crazy a long time ago."

"Danny?" I looked away from Tucker to Val.

"Sorry if I sound snappish Val, but aren't you ready to end my half afterlife about now?" I asked.

"Maybe you did go crazy after all." Valerie said. I looked at her my eyebrows coming together.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"It means you're crazy if you think I'm going to hurt you, Danny Phantom or not. You were one of my truest friends, I can understand why you would have kept that from me. Mind you I'm still peeved you couldn't trust me with that, but still… I can understand." Valerie shrugged.

"Ok…" I said, "I thought your hate for Phantom would blind you to your friend ship with Fenton."

"I know it's probably not my place in this, but Valerie is one of the most loyal people I know." Said the man behind her.

"Excuse me, but I don't believe I caught your name." I said I held my hand out, "I'm Danny." He took my hand.

"Derek." He smiled, I nodded.

"Pleased to meet you." I looked at the woman on the couch, "And you would be?"

"Angie." The woman said I little put off, but I guess talking to a half ghost would do that to you… well if you knew they were half ghost.

"Well, nice to meet you to." I smiled, I looked back to Sam, "How's my family."

"I don't think you're parents ever got over losing their only son, but over all I hear they're doing pretty good. You're sister has gotten pretty famous over the years." Sam smiled. I nodded.

"During one of my brief excursions with insanity, I watched TV and found some of that out by myself." I sighed, "They all think I'm dead don't they."

"Danny, everyone thinks you're dead." Valerie said. I sighed. Great, wouldn't tomorrow be fun then. I looked outside; it had been dark for a while now. Tomorrow was in just a couple hours wasn't it? I sighed.

"Well… I'm not going to miss my reunion now am I?" I looked up; the adults around me were gapping. I sighed, "Stop looking at me like that."

(Hey, you want to hear the most annoying sound in the world? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE….)

Paulina sighed falling onto the bed. Tomorrow as the reunion, tomorrow she'd see everyone again, every one who hadn't died of course. Thinking about this Paulina didn't even know who was alive and who wasn't, she sighed kicking of her shoes and sitting up, pulling the high fashion shirt over her head. Sitting there in her bra and too tight pants in the overly priced hotel room. Paulina really wanted to make an impression on her former peers. Serves them right for not worshiping her more. Pauling flipped her hair and lay down on the bed. Danny Phantom. Paulina thought, well it may make her a pedophile and a necrophiliac but she was going to check him out. Was the infamous ghost boy even still there? With a sigh Paulina laid her head down on her pillow. She'd worry about everything tomorrow.

(I think Paulina was a little bitchy here, but hey, I really don't like her, and she was quite a shallow bitch in the TV show too.)

I looked up at the ceiling, today was the day, not just the day of the reunion, but the day I finished the last block in the town… I didn't know what I'd do after that. I told everyone I'd go to the reunion but now that I thought about it, did I really want to go? What would people think about Danny Fenton coming in, most likely they'd think GHOST. Would I tell them my secret? My phone started ringing. I sighed rolling over to pick it up.

"Dude!" my eyes went wide.

"Tucker?" I asked.

"I can't believe your phone still works." He laughed, god he sounded old.

"Well, it's only because you're in Amity, lots of things happen you wouldn't believe." I rubbed my eyes, "Do you even know what time it is?" I asked.

"It's like noon, why?'

"My point exactly, it's noon, on a weekend and I'm a growing teenage boy." I said. Tucker laughed.

"Really?" he asked, "Growing."

"Hey don't rub the fact that you grew up into my face now, I'll overshadow you before you can count to ten… what do you want anyway."

"I was wondering if you wanted to eat with us, I already invited Sam over." Well this would be awkward to say the least.

"I'll be over in a minute." I sighed rolling out of bed and falling on the floor.

"Hurry up or all the food will be gone." Tucker laughed.

"If you still eat the way you did ten years ago I don't doubt that." I smiled, it was strange, joking with Tucker, just like the old days, but he was twenty-eight. Granted I was to, but you know what I mean.

"You bet I do."

"Much to the embarrassment of his wife!" Said Angie in the background. I sighed, being brought back down to earth again. Tucker was completely alive with a wife and everything… I… I wasn't.

"I'll see you when I get there." I said. I stood up getting of the floor and pulling clothes out, running to take a shower really quick. I hummed in the shower to an old Dumpty Humpty song. Then I phased the water off and got dressed, going ghost and flying out of there. I landed in front of Tucker's house changing back and knocking on the door. Tucker opened it looking at me.

"That is still so weird." He said with a frown.

"Back to you." I said folding my arms. This was way to weird. I kept wondering how Vlad had aged while I hadn't. Angie looked up at me as I walked in.

"Hi." I waved, she waved back.

"It's hard to believe that you really existed like this ten years ago… two days ago I really didn't even believe it there were ghosts."

"Just close your eyes and pretend it's all a bad dream, that's how I get by." I smiled.

'Pirates of the Caribbean." Tucker said pointing at me, I pointed back.

"Yes!" then I lowered my hand, "When did you get so excited?" I asked, Tucker was acting really hyper and jumpy. What was up with that?

"Well my best friend isn't dead, I am about to devour this steak, and I have a beautiful wife, why wouldn't I be excited." Tucker smiled, I looked at him, why did he have to be so old… I know I'd said it before, but I'd probably say it twenty times more.

"I notice you put your wife last." Angie said raising an eyebrow.

"I wasn't going in any particular order." Tucker kissed Angie's temple. I looked away.

"So… where is Sam… and did you invite Val?" I asked shifting my weight nervously. Tucker looked at me.

"Sam said she was on her way, and Val said she was flying solo on this one."

"Really?" I sat down at the table and looked around. "I half figured she'd come after me guns blazing. I know my parents would have been cool about knowing my secret, but I was never sure about Valerie." I sighed, "I just wish I could go back and do everything over." I sighed.

"For what it's worth, it think you're a good kid." Angie said looking at me. I smiled.

"Thanks… " I frowned, "but you don't even know half of it." I sighed.

"Well… tell me." Angie said, "Since Tucker won't." I looked up at her.

"It's a really long story… I… " I sighed, "I'm not sure I can give you the most accurate account."

"I guess the most you can do is try." Angie shrugged. I sighed.

"I…" I looked down at the table, "Can't." I looked back up at her, "look, it was a long time ago, and it's something I really don't like talking about, it makes this all real. As long as I can pretend it's a dream I'll wake up from I'm ok… for me, my dreams are now my reality, I can't think about what happened, why it happened, or how long ago it happened. I know it's not healthy, but honestly, it keeps me sane. And trust me, you don't want to see me insane." I sighed. Tucker put his hand on my shoulder. Why did he have to be so old?

"Dude, stop beating yourself up over it, that was nearly fourteen years ago… I mean, he was from ten years in the future, since then… right?" Tucker asked.

"I don't know Tuck." I sighed, "A part of me will always have the capacity to become him, I can't let myself for get that."

"I'm more than a little confused." Angie said looking at the two of us, "You know, it's more than a little rude to leave someone out of the loop like that."

"We're talking about my evil future… past… something self. Dark Dan." I sighed, "He completely gave up him humanity after my family and friends died in an alternate timeline. I had to fight him to keep him from becoming my future, not really something I like to talk about." I sighed.

"Danny?" Sam came in, "Are you here yet?" she looked around the room locating me and smiling.

"Wow Sam, didn't figure you'd venture into a meat conosour's lair." Tucker smiled.

"Only for an old friend Tucker." Sam said then smiled, "It's been a while since we've all been together." Sam sighed; I rested my chin on my hand.

"You don't have to tell me." I groaned then looked away. Why was this so hard? I mean it was easy, like riding a bike again, but hard… my heart tried to pull away from my chest, and my fight or flight response had long since kicked in growing more insistent as time went on.

"Danny?" Tucker said looking down at me. Ugh, why? Stupid, stupid, non-aging thing.

"I'm fine." I forced a smile, my eyes suppressing a twitch. Tucker lowered to my level one knee on the ground the other bent proposal style.

"No, no you're not." Tucker said. Sam came up behind him.

"We're your friends Danny, no matter what, we know this is bugging you. Do you think it's walk in the park for us?" Sam asked hands on her hips, "Because it's not. Ten years, I hoped you were alive, but to tell you the truth, a part of me always thought you were dead. Then, well you haven't aged, and that's kina freaky."

"Man, you still act fourteen, then you go and say stuff completely wrong with the age your body is. It's more than a little unsettling." Tucker said. I sighed.

"Honestly, sometimes I wish I'd never become half ghost… but thinking back to all the people I've saved, it all seems worth it you know… if I have to spend an eternity as a teenager, I think it's worth it. I wouldn't give up the lives of anyone just so I can feel normal. I really wish I could have grown up with you guys, but that's just life… my life anyway. I wouldn't trade it for the world." I sighed, doing something out of character I hugged Tucker and Sam, "You guys are my best friends, and I'd do anything for you." I let them go. Sam looked at me.

"Would you leave?" She asked me. I looked at her.

"Sam…" I started.

"Would you leave?" Sam asked again, "When this is all over, the reunion and everything, would you leave town and come with me?" she asked.

"Sam… I don't know…"

"You said you'd do anything Danny." Sam said throwing those words back at me, "I thought about it on the way here, what I'd do if you were still here… I have to get you out of here Danny; you can't spend the rest of your life in here. You have a life to live." Sam insisted.

"I kinda think my life has passed me by." I rubbed the back of my neck, "I have a block to finish Sam… then I can go… but…" I looked at Sam, "I… I'll think about it." I told her. Sam just nodded. I sighed. Tucker went back to the kitchen; he was shuffling around and getting out utensils. Sam wanted me to come with her… leave Amity Park… possible forever. But what about he portal… and all of the stuff left behind… the weapons, everything. I couldn't just replace it, and I couldn't just move the entire house now could I?

But this was my way out, for good. Out of the broken memories and the taunting structures, out of my self-inflicted torture and back in to life. Among real people, humans, real living breathing humans that were not just manifestations of my past. The idea was tempting, very tempting. I knew I couldn't resist, but I couldn't just leave either. There was one more block to finish… I couldn't leave here till then. But after it was done… what would I do? Could I leave? I thought so, but at the same time I had been sure at this time a week ago that I'd never leave Amity Park, even if I did finish.

What about my family, I had a family out there, one who was missing a son… could I go see them, what would happen if I did? Would they be happy to see me? They would still love me I was sure, but could they handle that? Could I handle it? Things had changed almost as suddenly has they had when I'd been left… but I could make the decision now… and I was pretty sure I would leave… but the portal… and the equipment. One can't move an entire house could they? I'd lived in that house for twenty-eight years; I could just leave could I? Did I want to find out?

These new possibilities danced in my mind. I could leave, but at the same I couldn't. Tucker put a steak in front of me and I jumped.

"Oh… uh thanks." I jumped out of my thoughts. This was it… the last day to make up my mind, the last day to figure it out. What would I do? This could be the end… the actual end of my isolation. This was a new almost disturbing thought. But if this was the end… then where was the beginning? And where did this beginning lead. I really wanted to know.

So… who wants Danny to go home… well see his family again? VOTE!

Please review, all you ninja readers out there who read and don't review, I needs me some feedback. So come on, press that button down there and make me happy… Ok… no. That's cool, that's cool. I'll just have to write my heart out… yeah. So moving on. REVIEW.


	6. Chapter 6

HSR 6

Ok Fenton, calm down. I told myself. Sam is walking beside you, and she's real, just calm down and stop acting like the next little noise you hear is going to make you jump I front of a tank to protect you. Dude, she's like twenty-eight restrain yourself, be cool. Go take a chill pill and relax, it's only Sam, you've know her since pre-school, calm down… this shouldn't be this awkward, riding a bike Fenton, it's like riding a bike, well that doesn't help the fact I'm scared shitless. Why did she have to ask to come? Calm down Fenton, just put one foot in front of the other and walk, just keep…

"Danny?"

"Ah." I jumped breaking out of my mental rant, "Oh.. yeah, what?" I asked. Sam smiled down at me.

"I was just going to ask you if you're ok with me being here." Sam asked, I nodded.

"Yeah." I said smiling nervously. I looked up the charred block ahead. I sighed. This was it.

"Danny?" Sam asked I looked at her.

"Watch." I told her going ghost and floating up to the building. It seemed to rebuild it's self. At the end I manifested a hammer and a nail. I put the nail into it's place above the door. This was it… the end. I held the hammer up tapping the nail into place. The last one, the last one… I watched as the iron sunk through the wood sliding home. I stepped back, the hammer disappearing. That was it… I was done. The end. I looked at the house as if it held the miracles of the world, as if god himself would walk out that door and set me free. But nothing happened.

"Oh god." I said feeling the familiar pull at my chest, that wasn't it… it wasn't over was it. What more could I do? Was this going to be my life? Would I be forced to live here forever? What was up with this, it was supposed to be the end, after this I was supposed to let go, I was supposed to be free. Free, I could then go with Sam leave this place. But the familiar tie to my core kept me here… I was stuck… I closed my eyes and sank to my knees. This was supposed to be the end. I was supposed to be free… I sobbed again, my head in my hands. How was this possible? What had gone wrong.

"Danny?" Sam touched my shoulder.

"No, no, its all wrong… all wrong…" I was still here, I was still tethered to the town, and nothing had changed. Nothing had changed. I wrapped my arms around myself and began to rock like a crazy person. What now, what now, was I still doomed to live here forever? Before I thought I could leave, but now… I thought this was what was holding me back… but if it wasn't this what was it. I couldn't leave; I wouldn't see my family again, not ever. I would be half ghost till the end of eternity, forever. And even if I wasn't half ghost, I'd still be a ghost… how had this happened. This wasn't supposed to happen. I rocked. This was all wrong… all wrong. Why had I thought I could leave any way?

Did a ghost really leave his haunt that easily; it was an obsession, so how did you become un-obsessed. I thought being half ghost maybe this didn't apply to me as much as the other ghosts, but apparently I was wrong… dead wrong. I would stay in my Neverland forever more… my Wendy had grown up… and I would be a child forever.

"Danny snap out of it." Sam shook me, but I couldn't tell, I was in shock, how had I not been let free. What was this? Neverland… Neverland… Wendy was all grown up… half ghost for eternity… forever in this town… still tied to it… how, how, how? What went wrong… this wasn't supposed to happen… this wasn't right… forever in Neverland, forever in Neverland…

(THIS IS A LINE BREAK, don't believe me? Ask your friendly neighborhood blind man.)

Sam held the crying boy on the sidewalk. He was mumbling nonsense and crying. Danny was lost, deep in his thoughts. Sam wasn't sure what to do. Danny rocked back and forth, back and forth. What was wrong with him? Sam asked herself, one minute he'd been staring at the door in wonder, the next he was on the ground. Danny let out a strangled moan. Sam clutched him tighter not knowing what else to do but to hold him.

(Ok, ok, ok… yeah, so you can read the next thing now… yeah.)

Tucker looked around, this was so weird, the town, everything, was in perfect condition. It was creepy, unnatural. Sam had gone with Danny to see the last block… Tucker wasn't even sure what that was, maybe the last block in the town… was it a woodblock, what exactly was it. Tucker had a hard time going to sleep last night, he dreamed that Danny had come in his room and done something… what Tucker couldn't remember, but he could remember Danny's eyes. They had been red. It wasn't the best dream to have while thinking of your best friend. Angie looked over at Tucker who was lost in his thoughts.

For Angie, even though the town didn't mean anything it still freaked her out beyond measure. It didn't seem like it wanted to be disturbed, and Danny had the same feeling about him. Angie had been there when Sam had offered him a way out, the hope and fear on the boy's face was astonishing. Yet, Angie didn't know if a ghost could give up his haunt. Though she barely knew anything about the boy Angie could sense that Danny was connected to his town. The door opened, Angie looked up, Sam came in clutching a boy in her arms. Danny was shivering and shaking.

"Not over…" he mumbled, "Forever in Neverland…" he shook at a point. Nothing could reach him it seemed. Sam walked up the stairs to Danny's room, taking the trembling boy with her. "Forever in Neverland…" I sighed with a sob, "Wendy is all grown up." Sam sat there petting his hair. When had things gone so wrong for him? What did it have to do with the building? Danny cried out from the bed tugging at the sheets around him. What was wrong? Sam wanted to scream at him. Yet Danny was unresponsive to anything going on around him.

Tucker came up the stairs watching from the door way as Danny writhed on the bed like he was in pain. Tucker looked to Sam's eyes for answers but found none. With a sad sighed Tucker came to the bed where Danny lay. The boy looked scared, and hopeless, strained, and older than his body would allow.

"Why?" Danny called at one point. His hands reaching out for some unknown thing, his other hand on his chest as if it hurt. He curled into himself gripping his knees and crying. All Sam and Tucker could do was watch and try to comfort. They didn't know what was wrong, they didn't know how to solve it, all they could do was pat Danny's hair and hope he'd be ok.

"Danny?" Sam asked after a while, she already knew he wouldn't answer, but she hoped maybe he could still hear her.

"I know it's overdue, but…" Sam petted Danny's soft black hair; "I kinda… loved you when we were younger… I still love you." Sam kissed Danny's temple. The boy made no signs of hearing her but continued to tug at the sheets and try to curl up tighter. Tucker would have said, "I knew it." But now didn't seem to be the right time.

"Sam… Tucker… and… Danny?" A voice from the door said. The two adults looked up, Danny just whimpered.

"Jazz?" They all asked. Jazz nodded mutely staring at her little, little, brother who was still withering as if in pain on the bed sheets.

"What happened?" They asked.

"We don't know… Why are you here anyway, this is our graduating class." Sam said looking at Jazz.

"I wanted to do a study on the effects of traumatic experiences ten years later… this place is perfect for that… but I never would have expected…" Jazz trailed of looking at Danny. His eyes were squeezed shut, but that didn't stop his ears from hearing.

"This is going to throw off all my data." Jazz said not knowing what else to say, the two other adults looked at her with a WTF expression.

(LIIINE BREEEAAAAKKK… yeah, so one of these things again.)

Dash drove around the town… it was still quite a while till the reunion but he wanted to see it, it was eerily perfect, untouched, like the fires had never happened. He saw a car parked out by Fenton works and another down the street a while after that. So far he hadn't actually seen any living person. Michael fussed in the back seat. Dash sighed.

"Hey, buddy, we have a couple hours, what do you say we head over to the park? And tonight if you're good you can go swimming again." Dash said to his son, Michael brightened. A park? Dash drove to the park slowing down and pulling into a parking spot and shutting the engine off. They all got out of the car. A little girl was playing on the swings already. Michael ran up to her and introduced himself already the ladies man. The girl giggled and swung with him.

"Hmm… I wonder who's she is." Said Dash's wife.

"I don't know." Dash watched a feeling of dread in his stomach. The little golden girl had bright blue, blue, eyes and beautiful blonde hair. She wore a white shirt of a flow-y material and sturdy looking blue jeans and white sandals. The girl was pale, with a eerie smile… Dash took a step forward.

"Michael, who are you playing with?" Dash asked a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach.

"Her name's Sarah Daddy, she says she knows how to fly… she says she'll teach me, I just have to do one thing first." Michael was climbing to the top of the jungle gym.

"Michael come down now." Dash insisted. Michael paused but kept climbing.

"Michael!" His mother called. The little girl smiled climbing up behind him, her forms glowing more.

"Michael!" His parents called together, but he didn't listen he was having too much fun to listen."

"Now spread your arms like this." Sarah said holding her arms out as they made it to the top of the jungle gym. Michael did so, Sarah smiled.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt for long." Then the sweet little golden girl pushed Michael right off that jungle gym.

(Muhwa ha ha… had to leave it there. K… don't kill me! *runs away)

I was here forever… I gradually came to terms with the idea. At least I pretended I did as the shivers stopped and a came to understand my surroundings again. There was a large hole in my chest, well figuratively that ached. I wanted to leave so bad, but I couldn't, not just because I was tied to this town, I couldn't bring myself to do it anyway. I opened my eyes finding myself curled in the fetal position. I slowly unclenched my fists and tried to stand up. Three pairs of eyes looked at me with concern. One of those pairs belong to my sister… when did she get here.

"Hello little brother." Jazz smiled. I just about ripped my heart out then and there it started hurting so badly.

"Hey Jazz."

To tell the truth that seemed like a good enough place to end it, and I'm trying to post these because I have only one more day to post anything. I'm sorry. But after this I'll have to wait till I'm no longer grounded and have internet so I'm sorry.

Do you all like the 1st person view? I'm always iffy, I think it's good to show you more of what Danny is thinking, but I'm also always afraid I'm misrepresenting him. So I need you opinon.

Oh and one more thing

SNUGGLEBUNNIES, SNUGGLEBUNNIES, SNUGGLEBUNNIES. –Opus comic.


	7. Chapter 7

HSR7

Lets see if I can squeeze one more chapter out. If its short it's because I'm trying to post it before to post it before time runs out. Using a sto- I mean borrowed computer for school. Have to return it before the day is out. Can't post anything with it even if I did type it all up I couldn't post it. Really need to hurry.

Disclaimer still holds, trying to type story so won't give random disclaimer.

Things were not going as planned. I really wanted to leave now an I could feel the link to my known more than ever before. Jazz smiled and talked about our parent's but I could feel the sadness behind her words. After a while I excused my self and went out for a walk. I heard a scream, my blood rose my instincts kicked in. I saw a little boy falling from the jungle gym.

"GOIN' GHOST!" I ran towards the jungle gym changing and flying at insane speeds, catching the boy mid way through his fall. He screamed and clutched tight to me. I looked up seeing Sarah pouting on the top. I gave her "The Look" and floated down. Why they ever made a jungle gym so high I didn't know, it was a safety hazard. I landed in the sand beneath the playground the kid's parents running up. I looked at the shivering brunette boy in my arms. He opened blue eyes to look at me.

"Are you a super hero?" he asked, I chuckled.

"Something of the sort." I smiled. I looked up at his parents surprised to recognize one of them, "Dash?" I asked. Dash froze.

"Danny Phantom?" then his eyebrows scrunched together, "How do you know my name."

"As I recall you don't do puny." I set the boy down, he clung to my leg. Dash chuckled.

"Yeah… I really don't do puny." Dash rubbed the back of his neck.

"Um…" I looked down at the kid clinging to my leg, "I kinda need that." The kid held tighter. I floated up turning my legs into a ghostly tail forcing him to let go. He grabbed for m tail.

"I supposed you're here for the reunion?" I asked Dash. Dash nodded.

"Yeah… why are you here?"

"Can't leave." I shrugged.

"Really. That sucks." Dash frowned. I nodded.

"Tell me about it. Plus you're old… well not old, old, but I knew you when you were my age, so it's kinda weird." I shrugged, "I can't age apparently."

"That doesn't seem too bad." Dash thought I looked at him.

"I will still be this young a hundred years from now when everyone else is all wrinkly and dying. I will have watched my family and friends age around me and die, I will go to each of their funerals still fourteen years old. One day everyone I knew will be dead and I will still be alive, fourteen years old forever." I told him, "Now tell me again that doesn't sound to bad."

"I guess I never thought of it that way before." Dash said rubbing his neck.

"Well… I gotta go, my sister is in town and I'm being an ungracious host." I waved, "See you around." Then I flew off leaving the couple at the jungle gym, Sarah scowling on the jungle gym. Well that sucked again. I flew through the door and landed in the living room of my house. Changing back. Jazz was on the phone. Sam was on the couch.

"Are you sure…"

"Who are you talking to?" I asked. Jazz looked at me unsure.

"Our parents."

"What our?" Asked an excited voice over the line. I smacked myself in the forehead.

"Don't tell them I'm here."

"IS THAT Danny?"

"No." I said quickly.

"JASMINE PUT YOUR BROTHER ON THE PHONE!" Mom screeched, I winced. Jazz handed me the phone.

"Uh…"

"Oh my god Danny is that really you?" Mom asked. I choked up.

"Mom?" I asked, I heard her sobbing.

"Oh my god Danny, you're alive?" Mom asked.

"Danny's alive?" I heard Dad.

"Dad?" I asked.

"I'm putting it on speaker phone." Mom announced.

"Danny boy?" Dad asked hesitantly I took a deep breath.

"Hi." I choked out. Jazz was rubbing my back in circles. I felt my eyes fill with tears. Another moment I wished for and never wanted to happen.

"Danny." Dad's voice said.

"Hi Dad… did you ever build another ghost portal?" I asked. Dad chuckled.

"Yeah, got one in our basement already."

"Did Jazz ever tell you… I…" I couldn't say it.

"Jazz ever tell us what?"

"My secret." I looked at Jazz who shook her head. I bit my lip.

"What secret Danny?" Mom asked. I took a deep breath.

"It's better if I show you." I sighed.

"Danny?" Mom asked.

"Are you a ghost Danny boy?" Dad asked, "We'll love you no matter what."

"Dad… I know." I sighed into the phone, how I wished I had grown up, "Mom… Dad… I miss you." I sighed.

"We miss you too Danny." Mom said.

"I'm stuck." I said the words sticking in my throat.

"We'll save you Danny." Dad said.

"I don't know if you can." I sighed heavily.

"We will Danny." Mom promised. I blinked away the tears in my eyes.

"Mom… remember the portal accident?" I asked.

"Yes… you got shocked a little when then portal turned on, why?"

"Mom… I was… I… I was in the portal when it turned on. I turned it on." I whispered.

"Danny?" mom said, "Where are you going with this."

"I'm still fourteen Mom, I can't grow up, I haven't since that day. Mom…" I was getting choked up really badly now, "I… I died in there." I heard her gasp, "Not all the way, just half way." I said.

"Danny… oh my baby." Mom said I could hear the tears in her voice.

"Danny boy…" Dad said.

"I became half ghost… and I should have told you, but I couldn't I was scared, but now… now you know I'm alive you will want to see me, and if you do… you'll find your fourteen year old son in a ghost town everyone else abandoned."

"Danny…" Mom's voice was choked up too, "My baby…"

"Son…"

"I'm so sorry." I said, "I just… I…"

"Shhhhh…" mom said. I blinked away tears furiously though they were streaming down my face.

"We're coming for you Danny." Dad said, "We're coming."

"Dad…" I said, "I… I'm half ghost." I pushed out, "one of the things you hunt… I'm half ghost." I repeated, "Thought it seems like more than half these days."

"Danny." Sam put her hand on my shoulder. I was rubbing my eyes.

"It's not fair…" I said childishly, though I am twenty eight I sure don't act it, "I wanted to be an astronaut, I wanted to…" I rubbed my eyes, Sam and Jazz were both hugging me now.

"My baby…" mom said.

"We're coming." Dad said again though he sounded further away.

"I'm sorry… you kept talking about tearing ghosts apart, and I wanted to tell you, but by the time I was sure I could… well it was easier not to. Easier to lie to you about it, easier for you, and for me. I didn't want to make you feel guilty, and… I didn't want to get in trouble… now I'm crying like I'm five years old and acting like a baby." I said, "I'm sorry." I closed my eyes.

"We love you no matter what, ghost, boy or…"

"Something in between." Whispered finishing Dad's sentence.

"We love you for you Danny." Mom said, "No matter what."

"Where are you?" I asked.

"Arlington Heights." Dad said.

"That's still in Illinois." I thought out loud.

"Well we couldn't move that far away… Danny where did you go when everyone left Amity."

"You haven't figured it out." I asked confused, "Danny _Fenton_ Danny _Phantom_." I said. I heard silence on the other end.

"You mean we shot at our own son?" Mom asked horrified.

"You are Danny Phantom?" Dad asked.

"Half ghost…" I reminded, "that was my ghost half… I really wasn't trying to hurt anyway, you just saw it that way, honestly, I swear…"

"I belive you." Mom said. I sighed in relief.

"Danny?" Dad asked.

"Hm?" I responded.

"Our son had ghost powers this entire time and didn't tell us?"

"I… you were talking about destroying ghosts, I… I was scared Dad."

"Jack…" mom said.

"But we love you!" Dad said.

"Jack." Mom started again.

"Dad, you talked about how to dissect me using nothing but a spork and a small ecto-gun…" I smiled at the funny memory, which at the time had been terrifying, "Love or not, that can scar a childhood."

"I see your point." Dad said.

"Whether Fenton or Phantom, we love you Danny, you know that right?" mom said.

"I do now." I smiled. I had wondered, wondered what I did wrong for them to abandon me like that, leave me alone in a town without a population.

"I love you Danny." Mom said.

"We love you Son." Dad added.

"Thanks." I smiled into the phone. I felt a small weight lift off my shoulders. Just a small one, but it was enough.

"Goodbye mom… good bye dad… I'll see you soon."

"Bye Danny."

Now… this will most likely be the last chappie… sorry it's so short and all, but I'm SOL as far as typing goes for a while. Things will have to be pen and paper from here to the end of my grounding. I've been grounded for a month almost now so yeah… I'll see what I can do about it. I've been good and everything, but my grounding was until further notice so that royally reeks.

For those of you who have read this far thank you, and thanks to those who put me or this story or any of my others in your favorites or your alerts. You all know who you are.

Sorry but this will be the last installment for a while. I can still read your reviews and everything, but I can't answer or type anything up. So once again I am so sorry.

Now Dudes and Dudettes. There is still time to vote in. on these questions.

Do you want Danny to leave?

Do you want Sam to take Danny out if yes to the above, or the Fentons?

Do you like this story?

And once more, do you like the 1st person POV?

Once again REVIEW! And enjoy this story, please, please. Please review. Reviews equal motivation.

-Fly on.

-Merry met love

-Fairfarren all

-Yoroshiku

-until next time

-Review.


	8. Chapter 8

HSR 8

_ATTENTION, CHAPTER 7 HAS BEEN REDONE! PLEASE GO BACK AND READ THE CHANGES!_

Flash back:

"Avast ye Peter Pan, ye be a treading on my good side." Youngblood said. He and I had been on good terms lately; actually most of the ghosts had been sympathetic toward me, with a few exceptions of course. Spectra wanted to feed off my misery, but right now I was playing with Youngblood like I was ten.

"Peter Pan?" I asked curiously he pointed his sword at me as I lay against the pirate ship's deck that was currently floating in the park.

"Yeah, you know, because you're the boy that never grows up?" He broke out of pirate lingo. I laughed.

"And that makes you?" I prompted.

"Captain Hook Duh… I mean, I be Captain Hook terror of the eleven seas."

"Squack, that's seven…"

"Whatever."

(Suffering Spooks…)

"Dude you don't look so good." Tucker said, I looked down at him.

"Well… all my ectoplasm has rushed to my head so…"

"You know what I mean." Tucker rolled his eyes.

"Right." I said sitting cross-legged on the ceiling and looking up as if Tucker was on the ground.

"Why are you up there."

"Thinking, easier to do this in ghost form because no matter what I said earlier, my bodily fluids are the same as they'd be on the ground." I sighed. Tucker crossed his arms.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Have you ever heard of crossing over?" I asked. Tucker nodded.

"Sure like when a spirit is stuck on earth they have unfinished business that holds them back… why?" then a light bulb went on over his head, "Danny." He said in a warning tone.

"Dude, I'm twenty eight, twenty eight. I still look fourteen, and let's face it, I act it too. I'm not going to grow old, what if I just crossed over. I'm only half dead so I don't know if that would work, and not to mention I don't know how I would do it. But if I'm going to stay a teen forever maybe I just need to let go. I can't watch you grow old. Sam is out there… she has her own business, she… Tucker I love her."

"It's about time." Tucker smiled at me.

"But too late." I sighed, "I love her and though we may be the same age technically, I am still physically fourteen. That opens up a whole new world of awkward man."

"So get old already?" Tucker said as if it was the simplest thing to do. I sighed floating down slowly and flipping over.

"Get old… how?"

"Well… that reality power you got, make yourself old." Tucker shrugged.

"Thought about it… don't know if it'll work. But I was seriously considering it at one point." I shrugged, "Where is Sam anyway."

"Getting ready for the reunion already." Tucker said, I stayed floating cross-legged eye level with Tucker.

"Does it really take girls that long to get ready?" I asked, Tucker shrugged.

"Dude, you haven't been around women for a while have you?" Tucker asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Only manifestations Tuck." I said, "nothing really real."

"So can I see him?" Tucker asked throwing me off.

"See who?"

"Me… your manifestation of me that is." Tucker said. I rolled my eyes.

"Why?"

"It'll be cool." Tucker smiled.

"Whatever." I closed my eyes.

"Whoa." Said the younger Tucker's voice.

"Dude, it's a mini me!" Tucker said sounding very childish. I opened my eyes.

"Yeah."

"Danny?" the younger Tucker asked.

"Tucker meet Tucker." I said. Young Tuck looked at me confused.

"That's me?" Young Tuck asked, "I'd never wear my hair in braids."

"Well you do mini me." Tucker said.

"Well you could at least wear a beret… here's mine, I have a lot more at home." Young Tucker handed Tucker his beret.

"Thanks." Tucker smiled putting the beret on, "Hey, they still fit, you think I can take all the ones from my old room back with me?" Tucker asked. I shrugged.

"They're yours Tuck, no matter how old you are. Everything is there."

"So…you're really serious about this?" Young Tuck asked. I nodded, "Weird."

"So you aren't really me, you're just a made up fantasy by Danny."

"Strange, I don't feel made up." Young Tuck said starting at the words by Tucker.

"That's what's so cool about it. Danny has really been here ten years." Tucker explained, "And he needed copies of his two best friends to keep him sane. In fact I hear he's filled the city with people that used to live here, living and dead."

"That's enough of you." I said to Tucker, Young Tuck vanished.

"Hey."

"Don't tell them they aren't real, they tend to get violent." I said.

"So I would attack me?" Tucker asked.

"No, the manifestation of you as I remembered you would attack you." I said, "It isn't really you."

"That's weird." Tucker said. I shrugged.

"I'm a half ghost teenager who will probably spend the rest of his life here till I'm just a ghost, and that's _not_ weird?" I laughed, "You really need to sort out your priorities dude." Tucker shrugged.

"I'm just happy you're alive. Man I hoped… but honestly I didn't know if you were… I really hoped, and I'm glad you are." I smiled at his words.

"I'm glad you got out ok, I never knew either… I just hoped as well. You and Sam both, I only knew Jazz got out because I saw her on TV a while back." I looked outside, "I want to go back and do it all over, this time I want to age, I don't care if my ghost half does or not, I just want to live like a human again."

"So how did Vlad age and you not?" Tucker asked curious.

"I don't know really." I shrugged, "My best guess is that he didn't get hit with as much ectoplasm, or maybe it's just something about me or one of my powers, maybe it's because of my obsession, or 'unfinished business' that keeps me from growing up normally. I don't know." I looked out the window changing back and landing on the couch, "I want to grow up. You know that time when you're a scared young adult and you have to go out into the world, I want that, I want to be scared, want to know that my life could change, because right now it just hasn't." I sighed, "On the bright side it_ has_ been ten years and I didn't turn into_ him_." I said.

"True." Tucker said, "Maybe that's what's keeping you from growing up, you're afraid you'll become _him_, so you just won't grow up at all if that's what it takes." Tucker thought, "I sounds reasonable enough, well to me anyway."

"I does sound like something I'd do, sacrifice my happiness for the safety of others." I sighed, "But I don't think that's it, I don't know what is, but I don't think that's it."

"Danny?" Tucker asked, I looked back over at him.

"Yeah?"

"If you did grow up… what would you do?"

"I'd train to go to NASA probably." I smiled, "But first I'd ask Sam out on a real date… I'd get a job, study, become an astronaut, make sure my wife had a roof over her head and food to eat."

"Wife?" Tucker asked.

"I think I've asked her to marry me if I grew up, I think I would still if I could." I smiled, "I've actually thought about it a lot. I'd still keep the part time superhero gig, then I'd also be an astronaut, I could make enough money that Sam wouldn't have to work, though if she wanted to she definitely could. If she wanted to have children…" I smiled, "I think I could handle it, for the most part." I flopped back down sitting down on the couch.

"But… I'm fourteen still, I have to keep reminding myself that." I sighed, "Just because I've lived twenty eight years doesn't mean I am twenty eight. Plus, how would I explain my sudden appearance to the world, thought dead for ten years, reappears ten years later, still fourteen. Quite the head scratcher, don't you think?"

"Danny… Would you leave?"

"I can't." I stated.

"But if you could… would you?"

"I would definitely think about it. But there is still the ghost portal; I don't really want to shut it off. And everything here… I don't know if I could just leave it, though it doesn't seem like much to leave. I'll admit," I closed my eyes, "But I do want to get out… somehow, I think that would be my first step to growing up. But I just can't Tuck… I can't explain it but I can't leave."

"Danny, I'm your best friend man, and trust me when I tell you this," I opened my eyes and looked at the man before me, "This isn't healthy for you."

"I know Tuck, more than you know _I_ know." I shook my head, "I want to… I really want to, but I… I just don't know what's stopping me."

"Maybe all that's stopping you is you." Tucker said. I nodded.

"Very possible." I looked up at the ceiling, "I'll try, alright, after the reunion, I will try and leave." My heart jumped slightly in anticipation, "My parents will be here tomorrow anyway."

"Glad to hear that." Tucker smiled.

"So… would you tell an immortal boy what he's missed out in the real world?"

(Line breaker!)

Sam closed her eyes. This was it… after this everyone would know about Danny, he wouldn't be just hers anymore. Sam had already rememorized the way he smiled, the soft blue of his eyes, the curve of his mouth when he frowned, and the way his laughter sounded when they managed to make him laugh.

"Sam?" The knock on the door could only belong to one person, as well as that voice.

"Come in." Sam sighed sitting up. Danny was wearing a suit, he smiled looking at her.

"Wow… you look amazing." He smiled at her a longing in his eyes he tried to cover up. But Sam could see it, see how much it killed him.

"You don't look half bad yourself." Sam smiled.

"Well let's hope it's the human half that looks good." He laughed. Sam laughed with him, "I'd offer to drive you, but I still haven't gotten my license." He blushed.

"You were supposed to get it at sixteen." Sam joked.

"Too many things got in the way, and before I knew it, it was too late, like so many other things." He looked down. "Sam… I know it's selfish of me, but you didn't go out with any guys… did you?"

"Only if you didn't go out with any girls." Sam smiled.

"Nah… none were as pretty as you." Danny blushed rubbing his neck. Sam smiled, then the smile faded.

"Danny… I really thought I could do this but… well, you just make my insides go funny." Sam said then regretted even opening her mouth.

"You make me feel weird to… it's like I want to be with you, but you're just… so… different." Danny sighed sitting on the bed with her.

"You're so the same." Sam pointed out.

"Sam if I could be older for you I would… I…" Sam silenced him with her mouth. Danny's eyes went wide for a minute before he returned the kiss, eyes closing. After a minute or so they broke away.

"Sam…" Danny mumbled against her lips.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have done that." Sam blushed. Danny rubbed his neck.

"Well strictly speaking we are the same age." Danny said, "It can't hurt to do it again can it?" Sam gapped at Danny.

"No I supposed not." Danny smiled impishly at her answer.

"Great, cuz I've wanted to do that since freshman year… probably before, but freshman year is when it really stood out for me." Danny smiled. He closed his eyes, "Sam… I love you."

"Danny…" Sam gently kissed the boy it felt so right yet so wrong at the same time, "I love you to." Danny sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry." He said, "I would be older if I could, but… I don't know how… I just…" he groaned, "This is not fair." I he held his head in his hands rubbing his face, "Can't this all just be a bad dream?" he asked himself.

"Danny… I would be young with you if I could too." Sam said, Danny looked up.

"Don't wish that on yourself Sam." He said sounding older still.

"I would." Sam said.

"I know, that's what scares me. You aren't supposed to be younger, I'm should have grown up right?" he cracked a smiled; "I guess I missed a memo somewhere."

"Don't beat yourself up over it." Sam sighed. Danny frowned.

"I've been doing it for the past ten years. What if I could have grown up, what then? We could be having a completely different conversation right now. You could be telling me to bring eggs and bacon home." Danny sighed.

"Wow Danny, you really thought of that." Sam said.

"Sam. I have limitless time on my hands, daydreaming is something I do as easy as breathing." Danny sighed. Sam smiled.

"Well let's Day dream a while longer." Danny nodded. Then paused.

"Wait." I closed his eyes and concentrated, soon a twenty eight year old version of Danny sat in front of Sam. Danny opened his eyes, "It's not real, but as long as we're dreaming right?" Sam smiled.

"Then we should never wake up." Sam said laying on Danny's chest as he pulled her against him in the bed.

"We always have to wake up Sam." He sighed.

"That's why we always go back to sleep again." Sam replied stubbornly.

"I'll give you that." Danny said pulling Sam to him, "You're dress is going to wrinkle though."

"I don't care." Sam said, "I have you."

"I love you." Danny whispered.

"I love you too." Sam said snuggling closer into Danny's chest.

Aaaaaaaannnd, Imma gonna leave that there. Enjoy dear readers enjoy.


	9. Chapter 9

HSR 9

I'm gonna answer reviews at the bottom this time.

I still DO NOT OWN Danny Phantom. I want to but I don't.

May the story telling commence.

Sam woke up to a fourteen year old boy nuzzled in her arms.

"Well he did say it's wasn't real." Sam sighed. Danny mumbled something incoherent.

"Hey… knock, knock." Tucker stuck his head in Sam was sitting up Danny in her arms.

"Whoa." Tucker said, Sam just rolled her eyes gently shaking Danny awake.

"Where's the ghost!" Danny jumped up taking a fighting position on the bed. His two best friends laughed causing Danny to blush.

"Right." Danny said rubbing his neck.

"It's time to go." Tucker said taking in the couple's rumpled suit and dress. Danny nodded.

"Ok." He closed his eyes Sam's dress straitening and Danny's suit fixing itself.

"High school reunion here I come." Danny sighed.

(LIIIIIINNNNNNEEEEEEE BBRRRREEEEEEAAAAAAAAKKKK.)

I rubbed my forehead nervously.

"Calm down Fenton you can do this, you can do this, you defeated the ghost king, your evil future self and still lived, well your human half lived, and your ghost half still existed, but this should be child's play compared to this." I tried to pep talk myself into this, "Stop the car I'm gonna throw up." I complained.

"We haven't even started it yet." Tucker pointed out his wife looking nervously back at me.

"So do you want the sick half ghost throwing up in the back of your car, let me out I tell you, I'm flying the reunion." I said unbuckling.

"That'll just give you more time to talk yourself out of it, you're staying in the car." Tucker scolded.

"You're not the boss of me." I folded my arms childishly.

"No but I am older than you."

"Ok, technically we are the same age." I said my hands fumbling over the door handle.

"You sure don't act like it." Tucker sighed. I stuck my tongue out proving his point.

"I'm fourteen deal." I said opening the door, "But seriously dude, this will not end well if I don't fly there, I'm having a nervous breakdown as it is."

"Whatever Danny, just make sure you come." Tucker said, he looked back at Sam who was in the back seat, "You gonna say anything?" He asked.

"I'm gonna throw up." Sam said looking a little paler than usual.

"Great not you to." Tucker sighed. I closed my eyes.

"I can do this." I said once more.

"Danny." I opened my eyes again Sam looking at me, "Please come." I nodded.

"I will." I sighed, "Going ghost!" I smiled as the two familiar rings of light surrounded me. I stood there in my black hazmat suit taking off toward the school. I flew over the cars headed in that direction as well, it was six o clock, and the sun was still pretty high in the sky. There were a few people with kids walking through the parking lot when I arrived. I saw Michael, the boy I'd saved earlier. I closed my eyes floating down till I touched the roof of the high school. I looked down into the parking lot.

Man, there were a lot of people down there, my heart would be beating at a hundred per, that is if my heart could still beat in this form. I saw Paulina, and Kwan, Star, Mikey, Valerie, Derek, Mina, Spike, Ned, Nathan, and Raven. All these people knew me. I bit my lip. And they all thought I was dead. I debated on whether or not to appear older, while the mask of age made me look older I found out I couldn't actually make myself age. That put a stake through my plans.

I looked down at my white gloved hands summoning a mirror as I looked back at my scared fourteen year old appearance. I was twenty eight for Pete's sake. The face in the mirror looked like a mirage before solidifying into the glamor of an older Danny Phantom, which was just weird. The older Danny looked at me in the mirror. I changed back, Fenton looking at me now. I sighed letting the glamor fade again it wavered like heat waves before breaking apart again.

I dissolved the mirror looking back down. I could do this, couldn't I? I could see myself going in, I could see it, but I wasn't sure if I could actually _do_ it. I took a deep breath as I saw Sam step out of the car, Tucker and his wife Angie following. Sam looked around expectantly before heading inside. Everything was as they left in. I closed my eyes going ghost and sinking through the floors till I got to the gym, transforming back behind a row of bleachers. I waited blending with the crowd successfully as I searched for my friends. I didn't attract that much attention, but I always had been practically invisible to everyone even back in high school. I was more invisible as a human than I was in ghost mode.

I bumped into someone; I caught my balanced as the person turned pissed off. I'd recognize the face of my tormentor even if I'd gone blind.

"I… uh… sorry." I said with a slight smile.

"Just watch it kid." Dash said. He didn't recognize me though.

"Sorry Dash." I mumbled again as I weaved through the crowd of dancing adults. I thought I heard I a whispered "Fenton?" but maybe I was hearing things. I made it to the front door where Sam was coming through without another incident. Sam caught sight of me and smiled.

"There you are ghost boy." Sam smiled, Tucker and Angie following her in.

"I said I'd be here right?" I asked my heart trying to strangle me, my instincts yelling at me to run. I hadn't been near so many humans in a long, long time. Fake humans maybe, but no real ones. I smiled at my friends. I hadn't seen Valerie that often since I told her my secret, I wondered if she was mad at me. Sam put a hand on my shoulder.

"You want to dance." Sam asked.

"As long as we don't have to pogo." I laughed. She smiled.

"No we'll just jump up and down a lot and move because we don't have an any better idea how to dance than when we were kids." Sam smiled.

"We could do the waltz, or something, but that wouldn't do to well." I laughed putting my arms around her and leading her to the dance floor.

"Sorry I'm so short." I blushed, Sam giggled a little.

"I usually like guys who are taller than me, but for you I'll make an exception." Sam smiled. I blushed deeper.

"Well…" I debated floating a little, "I could…"

"No, just be you." Sam smiled. I smiled back.

"This is still so weird." I said trying to dance with a girl… woman, who was taller than me.

"If anyone asks you can me my cousin." Sam smiled.

"What happened to being me?" I laughed as we attempted to dance, I saw Valerie a couple people over.

"Danny Fenton shouldn't be alive." Sam said sadly. Great job Fenton, just ruin the mood. I looked around.

"For all these people know, I'm a ghost." I smiled.

"Half ghost, but still." Sam added. Someone screamed. I instantly went on high alert before I realized that someone screaming was Mr. Lancer… that and he was screaming at me… like a little girl.

"Oh crud." I sighed, "I was hoping to avoid this." I said as people started turning. Whispers spread through the room.

"Just pretend they aren't here." Sam said.

"Yes, let's dream a while longer." I agreed dancing like there was no tomorrow. I smiled into Sam's eyes, Sam looked at me her eyes turning sad.

"You aren't coming are you?" Sam asked.

"Where?"

"With us… out of the city." Sam explained I sighed.

"I can't… I'll definitely try, but I don't know if I can." I sighed. It was hard enough thinking about this alone let alone seeing the hurt and sadness on Sam's face. I tried to smile encouragingly.

"Hey, it's ok… I'll try, maybe I can leave and that's all I need to do is let go." I cheered her up. Sam forced a smile.

"Yeah… maybe." I smiled. I didn't want this. I never did. I wanted to grow up, but I didn't, you can call if fate or destiny, but whatever it was, it had something else in mind for me than what I wanted. Sam touched my chest.

"It'll be ok Sam." I promised. She nodded.

"I'll have to believe that."


	10. Chapter 10

HSR 10

Its been a while huh folks. Sorry that last chapter was kinda short. But I hope this one will be longer no promises though k.

And a shout out to ThePurpleSuperCow, who thinks I know everything there is to know about DP, when in fact I do not. Though she'll tell you otherwise.

Anyway, still don't own anything… and I'm broke too so, I really don't make any earth monies.

See you at the bottom.

I sighed as I sat down at the table, Paulina came bustling up to it checking out Tucker. I rolled my eyes, yes she was hot, that much I could admit, but Sam was more than hot, and she didn't have air between her ears.

"Tucker… please tell me who the little friend of yours is." Paulina bubbled, I saw Angie clench her teeth and Tucker roll his eyes.

"If you want to know why not ask me?" I glared. Paulina turned.

"Are you even old enough to drive?" She asked. I growled, I still wanted to keep my secret but, what was the harm in thinking Danny _Fenton _was a ghost to.

"I'm technically twenty one Paulina; it's not my fault dying got in the way of the whole aging process." I sighed. Sam snickered; I stared calmly up at Paulina's face as it screwed up as she tried to think. What had I seen in this girl? Her two DD boobs smushed up as she folded her arms… right… that's it.

"Are you a ghost?" Paulina asked. I leaned a little closer.

"Boo." I said then leaned back suppressing a smirk, "I mean come on, this is Amity Park the ghost capital of the world." I pointed out. Derek and Valerie joined us at the table.

"You got that right." Valerie said with a short laugh.

"Props to my man Fenton." Derek held out his fist, I sighed a little but bumped my fist against his. Paulina's face lit up.

"Oh… Danny Fenton." Then it went pale, "You're dead?" She asked I laughed.

"I'm still fourteen, same age I was when I died." I leaned back in my chair, then I tilted my head a little searching her, "I'm surprised you care?" I said with mock shock. Paulina backed away into Lancer, then gave out a frighten squeak upon bumping into the man behind her.

"The Lovely Bones… Fenton." Lancer squeaked, "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Attending my high school reunion, Duh." I said. Lancer looked at me oddly I laughed, "They say a picture is worth a thousand words…" Sam clicked the camera, twice one of Lancer one of Paulina, "I'm thinking I'll turn this in as my next two thousand word essay." I smiled as Sam handed me the camera. I looked at the pictures. Priceless. I noticed a video, I clicked back.

"Get out of here…" I froze as I reconized my own voice, my eyes went wide, fire… burning… I dropped the camera, it clattered to the floor, a banner started to catch fire.

"No." I said Sam pulled the camera to her looking from me to it. I closed my eyes, the screams from the tiny device seemed to magnify and echo through my head. I could hear it all as if it was happening, my vision danced with flames. I felt a hand on my back.

"Danny?" Sam asked concerned. I looked back up.

"I'm sorry." I apologized. Sam smiled tightly, my hands trembled… everything had gone wrong so quickly… I looked around, Lancer and Paulina staring at me, Kwan had joined in along with Mikey. I shrunk against the chair.

"Danny?" Mikey asked his voice deep, his freckles gone for the most part, glass had been replaced by contacts and his hair had grown out. I nodded mutely. He pulled back.

"Are you a ghost?" Kwan asked eye brows pulled together.

"Kinda." I answered. Paulina looked hard at me.

"You don't glow like a ghost." She stated. I looked down.

"Well…" I looked at the laces on my shoe trying to figure out what the little plastic tip at the end was called.

"Fen-toad… you died?" Dash asked I looked up briefly, just long enough to glare then I looked back at my shoe. more people crowded around. I cringed as they bombarded me with question.

"When did you die?"

"How did you die?"

"Did you see who killed you?"

"What's it like to be a ghost?"

"How long have you been a ghost?"

"Do you hang out with other ghosts?"

"What was it like to die?"

"How bad was it after the invasion?"

"Have you seen Danny Phantom?"

"Why didn't Danny Phantom save you?"

"Is Danny Phantom still around?"

"Do your parents know you're a ghost?"

"Have your parents hunted you?"

"Have you been hunted by ghost hunters here?"

"Where did all the bodies go?"

"Why is it so perfect here?"

"How long have you been here?"

"Why did you die?"

"How come you had to die?"

"Why couldn't you get out?"

"Why couldn't you save yourself?"

"How long did it take to become a ghost?"

"Are there other ghosts from the fires?"

"Did you die by fire, or by the hands of a ghost?"

"Are you evil?"

"Do you have emotions?"

"DO you feel pain?"

"Do you bleed?"

"Do you have ghost powers?"

"Can you walk through walls?"

"Can you disappear?"

"Can you fly?"

"Can you teleport?"

"Can you shoot beams?"

"Can you shoot lasers?"

"Can you turn invisible?"

"Do you have a ghoul friend?"

"Do ghosts date?"

"Can ghosts have kids?"

"What's a halfa?"

The last one caught my attention.

"Who asked that?" I looked around everyone's faces were blank, "Who asked about halfas?" I demanded. A girl from my graduating class raised her hand.

"I heard something about halfas last time I lived here… a ghost was talking to Danny Phantom… it called him a halfa… it said something about Phantom being a halfa… if you're a ghost now wouldn't you know." The girls dark grey eyes looked innocent still. I sighed.

"Halfas are not information that is shared easily with the human populace." I looked over the crowed, "If you want to know what a halfa is… go ask a ghost… well a different ghost. I'm not good to you." I shrugged.

"Danny? Did it hurt?" This was from Star. I jumped at her question and raised an eyebrow, Star blushed a little, "Dying… did it hurt?" She asked.

"Yeah…"I managed the rest of the words dying in my throat.

_What are you, a ghost trying to fit in with humans, or some creepy little boy with creepy little powers?_

I shook the voice from my head… I was still half alive right? I shrunk against his chair as people moved toward me. Dash's son touched me then looked at me amazed.

"You're still warm." He commented. This set off a spark, soon people were all touching me. I saw Lancer fighting to gain control of the crowd of childish adults. Once he had everyone away he turned to me. I cringed. Lancer took my hand and flipped it palm up. I winced. Long ragged scars were down my wrist. What could I say, it had been a lonely ten years. Sam and Tucker gasped. I blushed in embarrassment and shame. Lancer after pausing a moment noticing the scars and feeling the warmth of my skin put his fingers to my wrist. I winced. My steady pulse would give me away.

_What are you a ghost trying to fit in with humans, or some creepy little boy with creepy little powers?_

Lancer's eyebrows screwed up into a pained expression. I'm sure I had a similar one on my face. Lancer looked up at me eyes wide.

"You… you're alive." Lancer asked. And let me tell you, _that _did not go over very well.

(Because we do not know when we will die…)

Dash gapped at the boy in front of him, he was alive, Dash had even taken Fenton's steady pulse to verify this, but how could he be alive. The freak hadn't aged a day. Now he was the center of attention. Dash grumbled, what the heck happened to Fenton… how could he be alive. It made no sense. No sense what so ever! Dash watched in amazement at the boy, he was alive… but that wasn't the most disturbing thing, not even his lack of ageing was. The most disturbing thing was the long pale white scars down Fenton's wrists. He'd tried to kill himself. But he had failed. Why would he want to, he had what anyone would want, eternal youth, and eternal life. Why would he just throw it away. Phantom's words rang through his head. Dash looked from the twenty year old Sam to the teenaged Danny. To watch everyone around you grow old and die when you would stay the same age forever. Danny and Sam's hands were entertained under the table. Dash sighed. He felt bad for Danny, then Dash scoffed. He better not be getting into a habit of this.

(We get to think of life as an inexhaustible resource…)

Star knew it… she knew that Danny was alive… and yet… it didn't seem real, not even the ghost that had plagued her childhood seemed real anymore. Yet… yet this was all too real, she had even felt the boy's skin… a bit chilled, but still with warm blood warming it. Star looked sadly at the boy, she wanted to be young and popular again, back when she didn't have to work two jobs just to stay afloat. Back when the world seemed perfect. Danny didn't get to stay in that world… but he was still young, he'd escaped that hole everyone else had somehow fallen into. And Star was jealous, especially since he acted like he didn't want that kind of a gift.

(And yet something happens only a certain number of times…)

Kwan stared at Fenton as he shifted uncomfortably, he still looked like the same loser that Kwan used to stuff into lockers and trash cans all the time because it seemed cool. Kwan could tell something was different though. Danny didn't seem to want to hide anymore, he was confident in who he was, the pulse confirmed he was alive, yet how was this possible. Everyone aged right? So why was Fenton the exception. Kwan didn't know if he should pity him or feel envious of him. Kwan just didn't know what to do. Danny avoided everyone's eyes, yet he still seemed strong.

(How many times with you remember something of your childhood…)

Lancer knew the boy had been alive from the moment he caught a glimpse of him in the school, but it was all to unreal, this couldn't be Danny Fenton, it just couldn't. So why… Lancer shook his head, the boy in front of him certainly looked like Danny, and in aspects acted like him too. Sam and Tucker acted like their old selves around this boy. And yet… it just couldn't possibly be Danny Fenton could it? Lancer blanched not knowing what to do, not knowing what to say.

(A memory so much a part of you that you cannot conceive of your life without it…)

Paulina shook her head, no way was Fenton alive. Her small mind went into overload, this wasn't right, this wasn't human. Danny couldn't be human could he? Humans age… yet here was Danny looking completely human, alive and everything, without one wrinkle, one age line, not even looking a day older than the last time she'd seen him. Yet his friends were there… the Goth girl and the techno geek, they were they and they had aged, so why was Danny so special, and why couldn't Paulina see it before?

(Perhaps six or seven…)

Sam laced her fingers through Danny's free hand as the others came each one feeling his very human pulse, Danny sitting still letting them, his face a mask hiding his emotions. On occasion he would give Sam a weak smile but Sam couldn't bring herself to return them. Danny's hand squeezed her own, Sam couldn't wait till this was over… they could leave, and no one would have to ask questions. Sam squeezed back and smiled a little at Danny. He smiled back but neither smile reached the owner's eyes. The thing that worried Sam the most was the scars. Danny had tried to take his own life… his own life… and Sam knew she was the cause for that. Or at least part of the cause. Danny was ashamed of the scars now, she could see it in his eyes, but when it happened… what was he thinking then.

(How many times will you watch the full moon rise…)

Tucker watched his best friend get examined like a side show freak. Tucker hated it. He wished they could just leave them alone, that they could all fly under the radar a bit longer. But that dream tends to be shattered when your best friend is a half ghost. Tucker wasn't sure what Danny went throught while they were gone, the manifestations and illusions Tucker could understand, but the scars… those scars baffled him. Tucker realized there was a whole other side to Danny he hadn't seen, the Danny that he knew and the Danny that Danny was while alone in an old abandoned ghost town. Tucker winced every time the next person placed their fingers over those scars to verify he was indeed alive. Tucker though about how easily Danny could have killed himself over the past ten years. So what had stopped him… and why. Tucker wanted to know why his best friend had done this to himself. Danny looked up at Tucker an apology in his eyes. Tucker nodded but in a way that said "we're still going to talk about this." Danny understood. Tucker wasn't about to let his friend off the hook so easily. Danny sighed, the next person placed their fingers against his wrist.

(perhaps twenty, and yet it all seems limitless.)

Valerie watched, sure she had just found out Danny was also a ghost, but that didn't prepare her from the horror she saw on her friends wrist. Knowing Danny he probably tired many different methods to try and get rid of his life. The scars on his wrist proved it… there were multiple ones, and checking his other wrist while he held Sam's hand showed it had happened multiple times as well. Danny always seemed so strong, it was strange knowing he could have his weak moments. Knowing he was Phantom as well made it seem worse. Valerie wondered if he'd tired pills, drowning, or other methods. She shook her head… how could anybody do that to themselves.

(The smallest things used to mean so much to Shelly… it seemed kind of trivial… believe me, nothing is trivial.)

I knew there would be yelling and tears and accusations later. I knew this. But… but right now there was only sadness, sadness and guilt. I hatted that what I had done to myself bore consequences on my friends. I really never intended for them to find out… I just… I wasn't thinking, perhaps some part of me wanted them to find out, some part of me wanted them to see what I had done once they all left me alone. But… but in all honesty I hoped they never found out, I was supposed to be strong, I was _Danny Phantom_ I was supposed to be a hero. But… I'm only human. Only? Or am I less than that.

Each person that came seemed shocked to feel my pulse… they were told I had one, but I guess they didn't believe until they felt it for themselves. I sighed squeezing Sam's hand… mom and dad would be here tomorrow… and I promised… I would try and leave… and I always keep my promises.

Ok… that was kind of dark… :P hope you enjoyed it though.

CON SAN IS SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING SOONER.

Will you please review anyway… please… I'll give you all a pet ninja mutant ninja squirrel.

REVU?


	11. Chapter 11

HSR 11

Hey its been awhile. Just decided to start typing and see where that would lead me who knows?

Anyway, if I owned Danny Phantom do you think it would have been cancelled?

I could remember us… walking to school talking making jokes. Tucker not quite getting the facts straight and making Sam and I laugh. I remember that stupid red beret that Tucker loved almost as much as his PDAs. I remember my mom making us food in the kitchen the smell of bacon and the battle of the weenies happening in the fridge.

I could remember that day when Sam convinced me to go into the portal, and the day that I first fought a ghost. I can remember Sam's fake out make out, and how happy I was, then let down and embarrassed when she said it wasn't real. I can remember Tucker and I playing doomed till five in the morning trying to beat chaos who was Sam the whole time.

But most of all I remember that day…

The day the world caught on fire.

The day my life as a human ended.

I remember fighting alongside friends and enemies.

And I remember the death…

The ashes that drifted down in the destroyed town like snow, the unreal paper moon that illuminated the scene. The smells of burning corpses. And red. So much red. You'd never think there was that much blood in the world. Red on white, white on red. An evil sea of bodies, countless of people dying, slowly, needlessly. And how i… I Daniel James Fenton was responsible. This was all my fault I couldn't save them.

Those trees reaching their ghostly hands out toward the sky begging for a god to save them. But god has forsaken this place, forsaken me. What did I do to deserve this. This agony, these memories, these tears.

The white skeletons of babies…

The red splatter work of blood…

The orange burn of fire…

The yellow glow of the ruins…

The black chalk of the ashes…

The silver gleam of the moon…

The blue eyes of a boy…

The soft cries of a ghost…

The hushed tears from their eyes…

The silent prayers from their mouths…

And the broken frame of his body.

I remember…

I remember this as only the beginning of the end.

(And so the boy drifted off into the deepest sleep)

Danny's mouth moved as if offering silent prayers. People still gawked at him, thought the festivities continues. Danny sat there unmoving, once in a while a few words would escape.

"My fault… all my fault." Like a mantra Danny repeated. Sam touched Tucker's arm.

"This is Danny…" Sam said it like a question, "though he looks the same… I can hardly recognize him sometimes." Sam whispered. Tucker looked at the boy that was his friend. The grown man staring at a child wondering what weight was on those shoulders.

"Sometimes I can forget that its been ten years." Tucker said, "I wouldn't want to because I've lived my life since then, I've grown, and I found Angie." Tucker said looking over at the black woman who was talking with Valerie, "I can't imagine how it was for him." Tucker sighed, "To be left alone in the after math of _that_." Tucker said, "I can't imagine."

"My fault." Danny whispered again. Sam shook her head.

"I can't either… I can't imagine being left in that… but… I do want to forget. No matter what things I've done, what so called achievements I've made… I still would give that up in a heart beat to be able to go back… go back and bring him out." Sam said. Danny twitched eyes opening.

(He breathes inside the flames concealed by ashes)

"It makes no difference, there's really no sense longing for the past when its over." I said. Tucker looked at the boy, I put my head on my hand and leaned against the table, "What's done is done. People should leave it at that." I commented looking out on my former classmates, "No one should go back and cry over the past. No one should go back and try to relive it. It is something human pride themselves on… that ability to move forward. Don't long for the past, don't wish to go back… just live." I finished.

"That's coming from you?" Tucker asked. I looked over at the twenty-eight year old man, the tall strong body, the braided hair and I smiled.

"Yeah… I guess so." I smiled, "Kinda hypocritical of me isn't it… but then again, I'm not fully human now am I?" I joked. Tucker nodded.

"That makes enough sense…" Tucker said. Sam sighed. I looked over at her slipping back into my goofy fourteen year old self.

"Is something wrong?" I asked clueless. Sam stared down at me… god she was so beautiful.

"I hate it when you say that." Sam said. I blinked.

"Uh…"

"The human thing. I hate it when you say you're less than human." Sam explained. I blushed.

"Sorry." I said. With a sigh Sam looked away.

"I know." Sam said. Sam then got up and walked toward the food buffet. I sighed.

"Sam! Wait up." I followed, "Look, I know this is hard… and well things haven't been the best between us lately, and I know I'm mostly at fault with that… but I need to know what I'm doing wrong. Its like you changed in the last few minutes is…"

"DANIEL!" Sam burst out suddenly, I flinched, she had tears in her eyes, "Why?" was all she asked before marching off angrily. I sighed, then followed her.

"Why what? You have to be more specific than that!" I said confused, "I possess many talents but mind reading is not one of them."

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about." Sam said tears in her eyes, "Knowing you did something like that… I can't help but wonder…" Sam looked down at me, "What am I saying, you can't understand, you're fourteen." That was like a slap in the face, I've heard that from teachers, parents, other parents, policemen, government agents, and an evil fruitloop, but never from Sam.

"Well excuse me for not ageing!" I glared, "DO YOU THINK I WANTED THIS!" I yelled. "DO YOU THINK I WANTED TO BE A FREAK STUCK IN THIS TOWN FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG!" Sam recoiled, I didn't care, "DO YOU THINK I WANTED TO HAVE GHOST DNA FORCIBLY GRAFTED INTO MINE! DO YOU THINK I WANTED TO STAY HERE? DO YOU DON'T WANT TO LEAVE! DON'T WANT TO GROW UP! DO YOU THINK THAT I HAVEN'T SPENT HOURS WISHING THINGS HAD GONE BETTER BACK THEN! I MAY BE PHYSICALLY FOURTEEN, BUT YOU'RE THE ONE WHO IS ACTING CHILDISH!" I turned around and walked out of there the entire gym watching me. Growled and punched a wall my fist glowing with a dark wicked looking blue that took a chunk out of the brick.

I glared around at the eyes watching me then turned invisible and flew the heck out of there.

(one by one, burning brighter)

What was I thinking? I asked myself as I sat on the outside of the school balancing on the clock hand leaning back against the metal rod. Of course it would support me, in ghost form I could alter my ectoplasm so that it was light, that's how I flew, direction was then sheer force of will as well as speed. I could make myself heavy enough so I wouldn't float away but light enough not to snap the clock hand.

I hung one foot over the edge of the bar I was resting off and pulled the other one close balancing that foot on the beam along with my body. I grabbed the bottom of my boot and rested my chin on my knee. I could hear the reunion still going on. People laughing and forgetting about me no doubt. I looked skyward.

"Whoever and whatever you are, should you exist… I just wanted to ask… is this your special way of tormenting me? What did I ever do wrong to deserve this? I protected my town, my friends, and my family. I didn't become corrupt. I didn't abuse my powers. I even stayed and repaired this falling apart town! What more do you ask of me? HOW MUCH LONGER WILL YOU MAKE ME SUFFER!" I yelled. Then I sighed staring up at the night sky entranced. Maybe I'd go up there… just for a while… maybe for good. I closed my eyes.

"Sometimes its best not to ask what others require of us, but what we require of ourselves." A voice commented. I chuckled.

"Hey Clocky… I guess you were listening in huh?" I asked looking to my left where the purple clad ghost hovered.

"Of course, I see all." Clockwork said in that annoying way of his. I rolled my eyes.

"Spare me the lecture, is there some word in danger crisis I'll be forced to help with?" I asked.

"Can I not simply visit an old friend." Clockwork asked aging backwards into a baby faced ghost. I scoffed.

"Who you calling old! How old are you!" I asked. Clockwork smiled becoming an old man.

"Time isn't relevant to me." He stated. I suppressed another eye roll.

"Of course it isn't." I commented. Clockwork chuckled.

"For as much as you've matured you are still a child." Clockwork said.

"Thank you for pointed out the obvious, are you going to tell me my hair is turning white now too?" I asked.

"You still don't understand do you… your future is something you make yourself, not determined by who or what you are. You chose the path you walked down and you walked it with pride dignity though not excessive amounts of humility. Why you chose to stop walking and have the world leave you behind I'll never know. Perhaps you were too scared of the outside world. Afraid no one would accept you, even your friends and family." Clockwork grew young again looking like a man in his mid-twenties.

"Being left behind as a teenager even before they were truly gone you built a wall around yourself. You ran from everything by staying where no one could touch you, where no one would touch you. You removed yourself from the equation in hopes to avoid the pain you're feeling now, the pain that you get from watching Sam all grow up." Clockwork said, Sam came out of the building, a stunning, beautiful woman, while I was still fourteen.

"Do you truly want to run anymore now that you've seen them, seen how their lives have progressed without you? Do you want to spend your years here as a fourteen year old boy replaying scenes of his past over again while they continue to the future. Your path might have been over grown by your fears and your pain but it is still there. The question is, do you have the strength to walk it once more?" Tucker joined Sam on the steps talking to her, soothing her perhaps.

"The question is your own, and only you have the answer. Something you already know, you just have to admit it to yourself. You aren't a child anymore Danny Phantom, not even really a teen, but still, not quite an adult." Then Clockwork chuckled, "then again they aren't either are they?" Clockwork gestured to Sam and Tucker below with Valerie joining them.

"Each of you still holds a child in your hearts, the you who was left alone to live as fourteen forever, and the parts of their heart that were left behind with you. We all still have a lot of growing up to do, even as old as I am, I can still pick up a new trick or to." Clockwork winked, then shifted to a baby faced kid again, "The thing is, if you're willing." With a swirl of his cape Clockwork disappeared. I stared down at Sam and Tucker, Valerie coming out to join them along with Derek and Angie. I smiled down at them.

I guess I really did have a lot of growing up to do, especially to make up for the lost time. I drifted down landing silently on the steps as they watched me.

"Sorry guys, for everything. What do you want me to do?"

I think I'll conclude it there, enough angst and revelation or what not for one chapter wouldn't you say?


	12. Chapter 12

HSR 12

I sat on the couch in my home that I had lived in so long. It suddenly looked strange. Welcoming again. My parents were going to be here tomorrow. I would leave. I sighed looking up at the ceiling. Laid back on the couch my suit jacket abandoned on the floor my tie loose as I reclined. Things were… new!

Things were new, for the first time in a long time I wondered what could come next, I was scared of the future of what it might bring, but I wanted to move forward. Walk my path as Clockwork said. Keep walking, never stop walking.

"Danny?" Sam peeked in the front door, everyone had gone to their respective houses to change clothes after the reunion. Sam walked in wearing black jeans with black flats and surprise, surprise a black shirt. I blinked.

"Yeah?" I asked. Sam sat down on the couch.

"I'm sorry… you know about earlier, I wasn't thinking." She said. I nodded.

"I know." I commented.

"Yeah." Sam replied, the awkwardness between us grew. Just think a couple hours ago we'd been kissing. I blushed. Sam looked away.

"Danny!" Kwan said coming into the room. I stood up abruptly.

"Wha-" I started, Tucker was right behind Kwan panting.

"Sorry, I tried to stop him but… well there wasn't any stopping him." Tucker said flustered. I nodded.

"Why are you here?" I asked my former tormentor. Kwan blinked.

"Well I guess… I wanted to apologize… that and I wanted to ask… are you... human?" Kwan blushed. I smirked.

"No I'm a cyborg." I held my hands out and marched around the room like a robot. Then I turned to him, "Why?"

"Well… humans age… and I can't come up with a reason why…"

"Why I'm still alive, but still fourteen?" I asked. Kwan nodded, I looked up at him.

"I am mostly human… but…"

"Also a ghost?" another voice joined in, I looked at the door, it was Star. I cocked my head.

"That's what a halfa is isn't it?" Star said quietly. I said nothing.

"The ectoplasm would have kept you from ageing right? Made you practically immortal?" Star pressed. I just looked at her, "I've been thinking about it… and… I want to be like you." Star said. My eyes narrowed.

"No." I turned on my heel to walk away, Sam put a hand on my shoulder. I looked back at her.

"What?" I asked. Sam looked to the crowd of people at the door. Mikey, Dash, Paulina, Spike, Raven, and Lester. Dash's wife and his son too. Dash's son let go of his mommy's hand and walked up to me.

"Hey…" he said. I looked down at him then squatted.

"Hey." I answered he smiled then beckoned me to him, I leaned in close.

"I know you're secret." I drew back shocked he smiled then whispered.

"I won't tell. I'll get mommy and daddy out." He said. I stared at him unsure what to think. The little boy looked at the ground.

"Thanks for saving me." He said then he smiled brilliantly up at me. I blinked.

"Uh… no problem." I said. The boy smiled then spontaneously hugged me. After second I patted his back.

"Ok now, go see your mom." The boy nodded then rejoined him mom at the door who looked like she was having a heart attack. I stood up once more. All of a sudden the boy screamed and ran out of the house yelling ghost. Dash and his wife were soon to follow. I smiled. That little boy was a genius.

"Ghost!" people were looking around scared. Youngblood just happened to float up through the floor.

"Hey Danny, do you- whoa! What are all these humans doing here?" Youngblood asked. I smiled.

"Getting scared." I winked at him, he grinned evilly.

"I never thought there'd come a day when you'd say that!" Youngblood squealed. I smiled.

"Just no hurting any of them, just scaring." I whispered then cracked my knuckles. I then sighed tapping into my powers.

"Fine I'll tell you the truth." I said closing my eyes and hanging my head for dramatic effect, Sam and Tucker tensed. Valerie just walked in the door. I smiled and whipped my head up my eyes glowing red I pulled off my best evil laugh.

"THE BOY YOU KNEW AS DANNY FENTON IS NO MORE!" I caused the words to echo around the house. Dark tendrils of energy spreading out from me. I saw Youngblood give a wicked chuckle. He began pulling hair tripping people whatever he could do. Valerie looked shocked I gave her a wink then she smiled.

"You fiend!" she yelled. I waved my hand knocking them back into a spontaneous portal to the basement where they'd land out onto a giant air matteress. I advanced on the other party goers and I wrapped the illusion around the house and around myself. I grew tall my hair flowing around like some demented anime character, I added fangs for effect and long scary nails. I looked like a demented vampire.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the crowd yelled. I chased them not enjoying it but at the same time laughing my ass off which added to the demented crazy vampire image. I chased them out of the house.

I got to the front door and smiled as they ran as fast as they could away. I then smiled and shut the door expelling the illusions around the house. I turned back to the kitchen area where my friends were coming up the door the illusion around me fading.

"I've always been a terrible actor. Its all in the theatrics I tell you." I smiled only imagining what they'd seen. They all laughed with me. I was back to normal and I joined in.

"Great job captain." I said shaking hands with Youngblood. He laughed.

"Always a pleasure to help my man." Youngblood saluted, Bones came down from the ceiling, I'd wondered where he'd been hiding.

"That was positively dreadful." Bones squawked. I laughed.

"Yes…" I turned back to my friends gathered.

"Now, onto the real business." I said growing serious.

(That face beloved of that child sleeping soundlessly)

We sat around the table drinking hot cocoa. I plopped another marshmallow into my cup and sipped the contents.

"You put anymore marshmallows into there and you're going to turn into a marshmallow." Sam scolded. I smiled.

"I have a very high metabolism." I stated dropping another one of the giant sugary goodness into my cup.

"You could still get flabby." Jazz said drinking tea.

"By now you're probably only drinking melted marshmallow." Valerie commented.

"Pass me another horse hoof." Derek said. I smiled.

"Now he knows how to live." I passed a marshmallow toward him. Angie I think was scared of me. She wouldn't make eye contact with me and clung onto Tucker's arm.

"So… are you really going to leave?" Tucker asked keeping a comforting arm on Angie's hand. I nodded.

"I think it's time to move on, there's nothing left for me here, pity it took ten years for me to realize that." I said looking into my cup. I took a sip.

"So… the scars?" Valerie asked. The room grew quiet. We'd already covered my leaving, Tucker just continually confirmed it. I told them most of what I'd done in the past ten years including putting Ember's hair out with the fire extinguisher when she set off the smoke alarm. We'd even talked about the past, but not about my… weakness.

"I was weak." I said, "I wanted it all to end, wanted to belong to one species or the other, not the halfway limbo I was in. I wanted to feel maybe… wanted an escape… maybe I wanted to see what was on the other side?" I sighed staring intently at my cup, "but most of all I just wanted to die. To fall asleep almost, never wake up… maybe…" I closed my eyes, "I guess I wished maybe if I died, I'd wake up and it would all be a bad dream, Jazz would wake me up an grumpy expression on her face, then I'd get dressed and go downstairs and mom would have breakfast ready. Then I'd rush to school late most likely. Someone would be there trying to take me out again. I'd defeat them of course but I wouldn't defeat the chemistry test or something." I opened my eyes again, "but each time… I didn't die… it would hurt, bleeding that way, taking so many pills, breathing in water, trying to asphyxiate myself… so many different ways but none of them worked." I said.

"I'm still here though," I said looking up at all of them, "with all of you… and" I smiled slightly, "I'm glad I was able to see all of you again." I said.

"Danny?" Jazz asked concerned. I blinked tears out of my eyes.

"Yeah… I'm glad I'm here with all of you." I said. The world suddenly went dark.

(they trickle down steadily to him in thousands)

"DANNY!" the entire table lunged forward to catch the fallen teen. The mug full of hot chocolate fell from the table and broke. The first one there was Derek. He picked up the boy and carried him to the couch. Danny's face was flushed, his eyebrows crinkled together. Sam grabbed his hand as Danny was laid down but immedatly let go.

"He's hot." Sam said. Angie looked down at the boy.

_He's not human, he's not human…_ her mind repeated over and over, she was scared of him, he was different, and weird, and new, but… he was still half human wasn't he. And still a boy. Angie didn't hate him, she didn't like him but she didn't hate him, she didn't want him to die. Especially since she made her husband happy. When Tucker talked of the past now, there wasn't so much sadness, just a wistful remembrance. Angie released Tucker's arm and ran to the kitchen pulling out packs of ice.

"Here to bring the fever down." Angie said. Derek nodded and placed one pack, the smaller one under Danny's neck, then placed the other larger one over his face and eyes.

"What's wrong with him?" Angie asked her voice small as she cringed against her husband.

"I don't know." Jazz said taking Danny's pulse, "Ever since the portal accident it's been hard to tell, his ghost have sometimes messes up his human half too. Its always been a possibility that he would destabilize ." Jazz said concerned, here long orange hair in a professional looking bun.

"Right now we need to treat his human symptoms, then see what his ghost half has to do with this… we might… have to take him to a hospital." Jazz said concerned rolling up her sleeves.

"But is he going to be ok?" Angie asked. Tucker squeezed his wife to him.

"I don't know." Tucker said waiting. Everyone watched the young halfa waiting for what would come next.

(Dreams~ Dreams~)

I stood in front of a door. A large dark wooded door. The area around was white, the light did not cast shadows, just a glowing endless white. I turned to see my reflection. I was in a white suit with a black shirt white tie and black shoes. My reflection multiple around me some almost in negative as I stared around. A figure from the negative mirror, a me with black suit, black shirt and white tie stepped out to greet me.

"Hello Danny." He said. He had white hair and green eyes. I stepped back.

"Phantom?"


	13. Chapter 13

HSR13

Phantom stared at me, I looked away.

"Ashamed of me?" Phantom asked, "Or angry?" He pressed. The room of mirrors opened down a long corridor, one end was a door to the room with the white and the door, the other end was a mystery. Long velvet curtains were drawn over the mirrors. Slowly dimming the light that had reflected around the room. Phantom and I stood there in our suits looking at each other, well him looking at me, me just glancing at him every so often.

"You know if it weren't for me you would have grown up." Phantom said taking a seat on one of the leather couches. I sat across from him.

"True." I commented.

"Do you hate me?" Phantom asked staring at me. I stared back.

"You are me." I said bored.

"You can hate yourself. You tried to kill us because of me." Phantom said holding out his wrists the same scars I had on them. I nodded.

"You are me." I repeated.

"You wish you'd never been me, you wish you could have grown up lived life with Sam, for that you hate me." Phantom stated. I stared at him.

"You are me." I said.

"AND I AM YOU!" Phantom yelled suddenly. I flinched.

"I am you." I said, "you don't scare me." I said.

"Yes, yes I do." Phantom said, "You're scared of my power, of what it could do to you." Phantom said.

"I'm not scared of you, and I'm not scared of me." I said. Phantom stared at me, then laughed pleasantly. He reclined on the couch.

"That was the truth wasn't it?" Phantom asked. I thought about it.

"Yes. I'm not afraid of you." I said. We stared at each other a long time.

"Are you afraid of something?" I asked. Phantom sighed.

"You tell me." He answered. I stared at him.

"You're scared of the future." I said, "Scared of what it would be like if we left, you were conceived here and you have existed here, and this is all you know." I said, "It's like your obsession, but its just because it's everything you worked to protect yet failed, you want to make it up somehow, but are scared that you never will so you can't move on for fear of failing to make things right." Phantom laughed.

"Bang on." He said.

"I know because that's what I'm scared of." I said.

"Aren't you the one who said I am you and you are me?" Phantom joked, "You're scared of more than you'd like to admit, it's holding you back." Phantom said. I hung my head.

We sat there in silence for a while. There was the faint noise of a lullaby, a musical score maybe, a melody, something drifting through the air. I tried to identify the source hear the words they drifted around but I was unable to grasp them. Maybe they were in another language. I closed my eyes and listened to it for a while.

(Your trembling silver eyes had opened on that dark night)

The boy on the couch was feverish, face flushed, mouth parted slightly short ragged gasps entering his mouth.

"Danny?" Jazz asked trying to cool the boy down , "If you can hear me squeeze my hand." Jazz said. Danny just continued to moan quietly as the fever consumed him. Tucker looked on worried, Angie gripped onto her husband in hopes that the boy on the couch would be ok. Derek brought in some more ice and pack of peas and a cold compress.

Sam bit her lip and held Danny's other hand, Danny's hand limp in Sam's. Valerie took off Danny's shoes and socks, then paused a moment before taking off the boy's shirt.

Derek placed the peas on Danny's torso only pausing for a moment to notice all the scars. Danny's body was red from the fever and Jazz worriedly fussed over him.

"Ectoplasm evaporates at 102.2 degrees F. So if he keeps burning like this he'll lose his ghost half which could repair the damage from the fever, and then we'll be taking a vegetable home to mom and dad because if he does survive that, he's brain will be mush." Jazz said.

"Crap." Was all anyone could say. Youngblood who had just entered the room saw Danny on the couch and panicked flying back into the ghost zone.

(A shining "you" was born that lit up the darkened sky)

"I'm ready to move on." Phantom spoke. I froze.

"Move on?" I asked. Phantom looked toward the white room that had the door in it.

"You know… go… crossover… whatever… I'm ready." Phantom said holding out his hand, "Are you?"

"Cross… over?" I asked unsure. Phantom nodded.

"We've done everything we can for them, what is wasted by staying more, just more pain and heartbreak, if we go now, they will miss us, but if we stay we torture them more, and if we go during that time it'll be all the more painful." Phantom said, "We saw them one last time, we got to talk, we had fun. That is how they should remember us, we should go now." Phantom said. I blinked. It would hurt, hurt to watch them as they continued to age. Phantom lowered his hand.

"What about protecting them, what about our promise to try and go home, what about mom and dad, we haven't seen them. What about leaving!" I asked holding my arms out in a why expression. Phantom stared at me.

"Of course they'll miss you… but me… I'm…I'm someone they never liked. They were always Danny Fenton's parents, me… they just wanted to kill… well rip apart moluclue by molecule, you can't kill whats already dead." Phantom said.

"Are you coming?' Phantom asked. I hesitated.

"No." I responded, "They need me to be with them again, and I need to face my fears." Phantom nodded, then began walking away, I headed for the other door, the one that led away from the room with the whiteness and the door. I paused my hand on the door to my body I would guess then I turned around.

"Where do you think you're going!" I yelled. Phantom turned the door to the white room opened.

"I… I'm moving on." Phantom said confused.

"Jeesh, I really am an idiot." I said , Phantom paused then contuied out the door. I rolled my eyes then ran attacking him wrapping my arms around him to keep him from leaving. I kicked the door closed and grabbed him.

"I am you and you are me, I told you as much already!" I said, "Moving on… we're not moving on like this, we're moving onward, we're going to keep walking, keep walking and never stop, never look back. That's not forward you idiot." I scolded. Phantom was absorbed back into me.

"This is." I said turning the door right in front of me. I opened the door that led away from the mirror room, the door that didn't lead to the whiteness. Inside the door was black. I stepped forward my consciences fading.

Then it got really, really hot. I thought I had made some terrible mistake, the heat burning me up. I coughed trying to get back to that room. Maybe I'd gone out the door, maybe I'd gone to the other place.

"Help!" I called opening my one stared at me Derek being the first to react as he ran to the kitchen coming back with a bottle of water which he opened. I guzzled it greedily draining the entire thing. Derek took the bottle and brought back a new one. I sipped this one slower trying to cool off. I noticed my shirt was off and blushed, but I was already flushed from the heat so I doubted anyone noticed.

"Danny?" Sam said staring at me, I gave her hand a small squeeze.

"Yeah?" I asked Jazz was fluttering around me like a mad bird with frozen peas, green beans, ice packs, a cold compress and what looked suspiciously like a bag of melted ice.

"I was afraid you'd die." Sam said. I was still burning up and sweaty so I didn't pull her to me and hug her like I wanted to, admittedly I wanted to do quite a bit more but I think this is rated T so we'll stick with I wanted to "hug" her.

"I… I could have." I said, "I chose not to, I chose to stay." I said giving her a smile. The frozen peas etcetera were starting to burn in their coldness.

"Look, I think I'll just go upstairs and take a cool shower." I told Jazz as I flinched away from a new pack of frozen vegtables, "You can keep those to yourself." I said pulling my shirt on.

"Besides they make you're nipples hard." Derek joked, Valerie slapped his arm, I laughed.

"True that." I smiled then climbed up the stairs. I paused at the top listening to what they would say about me.

"Danny, go take your shower, we know you're listening!" Tucker yelled. I laughed but hurried along.

(And for millions of years god has heard us cry)

Young blood flew through the portal then grabbed onto Ember as he found her the dead teen rocker glared down at the kid having gotten over babysitting a long time ago.

"Get lost young butt." Ember said shoving Youngblood off.

"It's Danny!" Youngblood begged, "_That_ happened." Youngblood said. Ember's eyebrows rose. Then she smiled.

"Well, then let's go visit the dipstick." Ember purred tuning her guitar for action.

(Returning, the hushed prayers, drifting slowly back down to earth.)

Maddie Fenton, now quite the old woman held a book to her chest. Inside the book was every record left of her baby boy including a few pictures of his college graduation. Jack had known how much losing Danny hand changed her, losing Danny had changed Jack too. But to find out there son was alive and waiting for them was everything, like their world had been brought back to life.

They loved Jazz, but in truth they had never gotten over Danny. A fact which Jazz didn't resent them for but understood. Still, they felt like they had failed both their children when Danny had been taken.

But Danny was a ghost… half ghost he had said, and that was because of them. The ghost portal, everything that had to do with that anything that brought misfortune on Danny because of that was their fault.

Maddie clutched the book closer to her chest and let her tears fall down her face, letting her sorrow out, her shame, and most of all her joy. Danny was alive. Even if he was the ghost boy and Maddie wasn't sure how to react to that, he was alive.

Jack reached over and wrapped his arm around his wife's small frame.

"We're bringing you home Danny."

Fairfarren all.


	14. Chapter 14

HSR 14

I was still burning up but the fever was slowly coming down though so I wasn't too worried. I was humming the strange tune I'd heard in my dream and closed my eyes running my hands through my hair letting the cold water through. I shivered in the cold spray as I toughed out the cold. I looked up at the ceiling letting my head and hair hand in the cold shower spray and fought back another shiver goose bumps raise along my legs and arms.

I turned to turn the water off pausing a minute then turning the handle on the water the spray dying down to a trickle before stopping. I phased the water off quickly, the cold droplet passing through my body as I stepped out pulling my robe on and picking up my discarded clothes. I walked out of the bathroom nearly walking into Derek who was about to knock on the door.

"Hey." He smiled. I nodded.

"Hey." I acknowledged. Giving a small smile to him.

"I was wondering if I could tell you something." Derek said. I looked at him.

"Sure but can I get dressed first?" I asked. Derek nodded breaking out into a grin.

"Duh." He smiled. I nodded recognizing that sort of a smile, I went into my room. So Derek had a secret, and like me he hid behind sarcasm, smiles, and jokes. I thought. I quickly got dressed then phased out of my room Derek was back downstairs the group of them talking on the couch, I smiled and went into the kitchen hoping to get something to eat.

"Aw man, my hot chocolate!" I gripped the cup was exploded on the ground. I sighed then waved my hand over it returning it to its former glory. I didn't really have to do anything like that, but hey it looked freaking awesome. I smiled as the cup floated in front of I grabbed it then returned to the living room with the steaming mug full of melted marshmallow goodness.

"Are you sure that's safe to drink?" Angie asked. I looked down at the mug.

"Well I imagined it to be so I guess it would be." I said staring at it. I then looked up at the room who were all staring at me, "What?"

"We're worried about you Danny." Sam said. I nodded.

"It's ok, I'm back and better than ever." I smiled, I sat down on the floor sipping my hot chocolate. Jazz felt my forehead, still a big sister no matter how old she'd gotten.

"Well you're fever has gone down, you seem to be at a normal temperature so you're still a little hot for you." Jazz commented then took my hot chocolate.

"None of this till your fever is down." Jazz said. I pouted then snapped my finger, the cup in her hand turning into a cold chocolate smoothie. I smiled up at her.

"How about now?" I asked. Jazz sighed then handed me the cup which I started sucking down. Sam smiled.

"You seem to be using your powers more." She said. I nodded.

"I guess I've finally accepted it, me, myself and Phantom." I smiled. Tucker burst out laughing which made me give him a weird look but smile wider.

"Was it really that funny?" I asked. Tucker smiled.

"Even if it wasn't, I missed your sense of humor." Tucker smiled. I laughed.

"Well…" I smiled. They laughed at me.

"Remember when you made that bad pun, it was when box ghost was trying to terrorize the town. He had an evil shoe box. You said 'looks like the shoe is on the other foot now.' Because it was the only shoe pun you could come up with." Sam joked.

"Or that time you had to eat Dash's underwear, that was brutal man." Tucker laughed.

"Or how about that time you got stuck in the broom closet." Val said, "I realize now it must have been after you changed back from Phantom, but since someone heard you in there you couldn't phase out without looking suspicious could you?" Val smiled.

"Ok enough laughing at my expense."

"Well there was that one time you fell asleep against the wall and ended up half phased in half phased out." Jazz joined. I rolled my eyes grabbing Derek.

"Me and the one person who isn't making fun of me are going out for some guy time." I glared.

"Make sure you invite Johnny and Skulker then." Sam smiled. I rolled my eyes and left Derek laughing behind me. We walked down the street for a couple blocks.

"So… what did you want to talk about?" I asked looking up at the man. Derek sighed and ran his hand over his neck mirror what I was doing at the moment. I chuckled letting my hand fall from my neck.

"Well…" Derek paused, "When I was a boy my mom died. I used to have her sing me to sleep at night, and one day she was just gone. Like the world ended. But every night when I lay crying for her in bed she would come in and sing me to sleep. Since then I've always wanted to know if I was dreaming or if she was real." Derek said semi embarrassed then he laughed, "She gave me this on that last night I saw her." Derek dug into his pocket and then pulled out a small softly glowing white pebble.

I touched it and felt instantly calm, like I could float away and never come back. I smiled lazily it was a sweet almost high feeling. The world seemed suddenly amazing like everything was right in the world and I didn't have to worry. I was so happy I felt like I could sing, I let of a small chuckle as I smiled Derek took the pebble away. I snapped back to reality instantly.

"Wow, I know that when I hold this I feel better but you looked like you took half a gallon of ecstasy." Derek said eyebrows raised.

"Wow… that some powerful stuff." I said shaking my head then examining the pebble. I noted the slight glow, "I think it's from the Ghost Zone." I said, "From a place I've only heard rumors about. Not every ghost sticks around to be dead all the time." I joked, "Sometimes they move on. From what I can piece together it's the light people talk about. For me it was a white room with a door leading to that place. The door had the same feeling I think, just diluted by them being closed. If that door would have opened I don't think you'd be talking to me right about now." I stated. I manifested a glove and pulled it on holding my hand out.

"I don't know if it will still affect me like this but if it does take it away. The last think you need is a loopy half ghost on your hands." I joked. Derek deposited the stone in my hand, the effect wasn't instantaneous but slow as I tried to stay fixed on the stone I could feel my smile widening and my eyes glazing over. I focused handing the stone back to Derek. My happy stone induced bubble popped. I wasn't as happy, but it wasn't like coming off a high where you swing way low. I guess it would be like playing a game with your friends and laughing so hard you almost piss yourself then calming down. You were still happy just not euphoric.

"Alright, I can't hold it either." I said taking the glove off and letting it disappear.

"Well… I was wondering…" Derek began. I put a hand on his arm.

"I don't know… this pebble is proof that she made it over, where ever that is, safely, she wanted you to know she was ok if nothing else. I said. Derek nodded. I sighed looking around.

"Look, if I could take you without getting sucked in myself I would." I assured, "I…" Great I was sounding like some weird soap opera, "I think that it would make her happy if you held her in your heart… and um… like remembered her… but not like mourned her…" I blushed, "I'm terrible at this stuff." I laughed. Derek joined in.

"Nah, you're doing just fine." He laughed. I looked toward the darkened sky and hummed the tune from the mirror room. Derek smiled and clutched the pebble.

"You know, you didn't tell me much of anything that I didn't already know." Derek said, I stopped humming.

"Well if that's true, why did you have to ask?" I wondered. Derek stared at the pebble then slipped it back into his pocket.

"I guess I just wanted to confirm it." He smiled. I laughed.

"Sound good to me dude." It said looking around. We fell into silence, and you know what, there was nothing wrong with it. It was nice actually. I smiled. My ghost sense went off and i heard a few loud chords drift over the town.

"Ember." I said running in the direction of Fenton Works.

(And so I never will cease to pray)

Ember gathered up a few more ghosts once Youngblood had told her _that_ had happened. The undead rocker gathered people up. She got Walker who never misses an opurtunity to enforce law. Ember also got Youngblood who'd gotten pretty close to the teen ghost. She got Johnny and Kitty who would never miss out on a rumble like they were planning. They got Spectra and Burtrand were always present at endings what was ending was yet to be defined. Ember got ghost after ghost, even Technus and Amorpho. Each ghost gathering more and more ghosts together till they all stood at a familiar glowing green entering the portal back to the human realm where they had once been fearsome terrors and before that humans living their lives. Ember smiled as she floated up over Fenton Works.

"YO DIPSTICK!" She shouted, "COME OUT AND PLAY!" Ember yelled. She started with a few chords to warm up then launched into a full assault on the chords waves of sound filling the air.

(So please show this child what love is)

Maddie soon fell asleep leaning against the window lightly snoring as Jack pulled into the hotel a few miles outside of the closest town to Amity Park. Jack looked over at his wife.

"Danny." She smiled dreaming she was holding the boy at last.

Danny smiled up at her Maddie in her dream and hugged her tightly.

"I'm going to go check in." Maddie heard but in her dream it came out as.

"I'm going to go…" Maddie frowned at the boy as he disappeared.

"I love you." Danny said, Maddie started crying and woke up holding her hands in her head.

"Danny." She called as if he could hear her. However Danny was still miles away confronting a group of ghosts above his house, the loud noises of yelling and musical notes traveling over to the park when things really got heated up, the human in the house running to go help carrying all sorts of odd objects.

Maddie however, didn't know this as she called her son's name. A big man came back opening the door and pulling around into a parking space and helping his wife out and leading her into the room. Maddie smiled and spontaneously kiss Jack with a passion that hadn't been felt in years. Jack looked surprised then returned the kiss.

"Tomorrow we are seeing Danny." Maddie said, Jack nodded then kissed his wife leading her to the bed.

"Yeah, and after that he'll come home." Jack said.

"And always be late." Maddie added.

"And we'll be worrying about him all over again." Jack smiled.

"And he'll be our little boy again." Maddie said. Jack kissed Maddie tenderly. And the couple laid down together dreaming about seeing their son.

(And give the hands you hold a kiss)

I yelled at Ember who was playing and singing at the top of her lungs above my house before looking back at Derek who nodded before I jumped into the air flipping over and going ghost as I flew out to confront the group.

"What give why are you guys all out here?" I asked.

"You were going to break the rules ghost punk." Walker said glaring holding his book open. I stammered wondering what rule I was breaking it had been a while since Walker had come after me about rules so I was at a loss.

"Come now ghost child did you really think we'd let you leave so easily." Spectra said, "There's still a whole bunch of goodbyes you have to say, while we feed off of each and every painful one." Spectra said. I stiffened they were here to kill me… or my friends.

"You can finally see what is in these boxes!" Box ghost said huge boxes behind him floating under his power. Nocturne smirked.

"Your dream is finally ending child, the least I can do is be here for it." Nocturne said. I blinked what did that mean.

"Hey punk, Kitty and me are looking for a good time, if you don't offer one we gonna make it worse." Johnny promised. I stammered, all of my friends turned enemies were back after my hide now that I was going to leave. Ember smiled.

"I think I have time for one more guitar lesson." Ember smirked and raised her arm high. I winced waiting for the inevitable.

I leave it there now.


	15. Chapter 15

HSR 15

Ember launching into a song I'd never heard before, I cringed waiting to be pummeled but nothing happened. Box ghost was taking decorations out of his boxes, they were just random, Easter eggs, a Christmas tree, birthday decorations, balloons, Saint Patrick's day ectohol kegs… Walker was directing people around.

"Uh…" I looked around. Ember laughed.

"Did you really think that we would let you leave without a goodbye party dipstick? You get to get out of here, we are happy for you." Ember smiled.

"Well… give me a minute." I dove into the house.

"Hey, bring what ever the heck you can carry that you'd think would be fun, and then lets party like we're going to die tomorrow." I smiled, "Heading to the park." I smiled.

"Aye, aye!" Someone said, I smiled and drifted back outside.

"Lets go then." I said leading the ghosts to the park. Box ghost's decorations were hiccupped all over the park, it looked like Hallmark threw up. I laughed though. Desiree set up a stage Ember taking the front and singing.

"I can't believe this." Sam said running up, I gave her a huge smile looking up toward her then drifted off the ground and laughed. There was a giant explosion and Skulker stood there holding the knob of what had been a grill in front of a smoking ruin. Then he glared and grabbed Youngblood who was laughing his ass off.

"That was my best grill!" Skulker glared a knife coming out of his arm.

"Calm down." I said, "wait… why are you here, don't you hate me?" I asked.

"It's the rules." Walker said, "You don't leave without a party from your friends." Walker said. I paused, half of my actual ghost friends weren't here. I sighed; I guess they didn't get the memo.

"Did you think we wouldn't come?" a voice asked. Danni floated there with a smile, my jaw dropped, she was older than me now! I folded my arms that was so unfair.

"Oh chill out cos, we just wanted to freak you out a bit, get you to think that you were going to be attacked." Danni smiled, "Come on." She grabbed my hand and pulled me over to where there was a giant theme park. I laughed.

Skulker's grill was replaced and he began cooking meat and kabobs. Dora was carrying around candied apple. A plethora of ghost children were playing in the amusement park. A crowd of ghosts were gathering and crowding into the park. Poindexter was following a really hot ghost girl who was giggling holding a glass of ectohol. I laughed. Poor girl.

Sam was talking some dreary looking ghosts in long black robes hoods drawn around their faces. I saw Ra directing ghost children into a Egyptian themed fun house. I was smiling like an idiot by then and laughing so hard at some of the things I saw. For example; Ghost writer was trying not to touch anybody and seemed to be spraying everything he touched with disinfectant. I didn't know he was such a germaphobe.

Youngblood was directing a skeleton crew on a giant pirate ship and shooting children out of cannons. Which didn't seem quite right but it looked fun as hell, even if it looked dangerous. The kids were screaming and giggling so I guessed they weren't hurt. Even Sarah had left her haunt and was hugging an older couple I guessed were her parents and crying it was so sweet I'm sure Sam would hurl.

Derek was talking excitedly with someone that looked suspiciously like Albert Einstein and Tucker was practically worshiping Steve Jobs. Why the heck was Steve Jobs here? I don't know.

Spectra seemed to be withering in the corner so she hung around a group of emo looking ghosts skulking in the corner. Bertrand was entertaining himself by turning into different people. I saw Amorpho watching different people pass and turning into them as if on a whim before turning back then turning into another one deeply lost in thought.

Walker was playing a drinking game. He had a funnel hooked up to a tube and was downing a keg of the ectohol that box ghost had brought. It was kind of funny. He then smiled triumphantly as the keg finished then stood up only to trip and land flat on his bottom, his dignity gone but his smile ever so wide.

A girl with flowers in her hair was talking to Sam handing her a few white lily looking flowers. Then the girl began dancing like a plant in the wind looking graceful and eventually pulling Sam into the Dance with her. It was kind of a strange sight because Ember was playing screamo music and yelling into the microphone. It was just a good thing she was a ghost otherwise she would be ruining her vocal chords.

Valerie was talking to some other ghost I didn't recognize that was wearing a long black Victorian era dress. The ghost had black skin and green eyes, the whites were black as well. Valerie seemed very interested in something the ghost was saying. The ghost seemed friendly enough but kinda looked freaky.

Angie was clinging to Tucker for dear life so I floated over to her.

"Don't worry, we aren't going to hurt you." I promised. I looked around, Tucker, Steve Jobs, and Nicolai Tesla were now in a heated debate. I smiled stretching out a hand.

"Come on." I said. Angie paused then eased her hand into mine. I pulled her into the air and flew here around. At first she clung to me screaming, but after a while her screams turned to laughter and she visibly relaxed. I set her down near Tucker and smiled foolishly then ran off.

"Dipstick, find your girlfriend before this next song, or else." Ember yelled as I flew passed and she adjusted her guitar. I nodded flying upward searching for Sam. She was talking to Clockwork a smile on her face. I landed in front of them.

"Hey Clocky." I smiled.

"Hello Danny." Clockwork responded. I took Sam's hand.

"Ember says that I have to find you before she starts her next song or else she's going to kick my butt." I joked though it was probably true. Sam nodded.

"Nice talking to you Clockwork." Sam waved. I waved back as Clockwork grew into a young child like ghost and picked a candied apple up from Dora and began munching on it.

I arrived on the Dance floor and Ember had a spot light pointed at me.

"Oi! This song is for the Dipstick, and his girlfriend." Ember yelled, "I better be invited you your wedding!" Ember glared. I laughed and rolled my eyes. I then looked sheepishly at the ground and 'grew' old taking Sam into my arm looking down at her in my new 'adult' body.

"I know it's just an illusion…" Sam leaned into me, "But it's nice." She smiled as a slow song started. Ember's voice crooning the notes softly and caressing the words making them magic.

"I love you." I leaned down and kissed Sam square on the lips closing my eyes. She wrapped her arms around my neck and returned the kiss our lips parting as it strengthened. I then pulled her closer wishing I could do this forever. I let her lean into me and tilted her head up a little still guiding her around softly to the music though I'm sure I was out of beat because all I could think about was the beautiful woman I was snogging.

After a while we broke apart, and I heard cat calls and whistles. I smiled then Sam leaned he head against my chest and closed her eyes. I wished it could last forever. But as Nocturne said my dream was ending.

Ta da!

A much happier chapter.

Parents next chapter!


	16. Chapter 16

HSR 16

I watched Sam as she talked to Walker who by now was completely arsed, I wanted to go over there and talk to her. I wanted to age, I wanted… I wanted so much. Hadn't I given up enough? It shouldn't be like that; you can't just give and give with nothing in return! That wasn't right. If you worked hard you got something out of it, if you protected people eventually they would protect you right? Shouldn't that be how it was? Give something to get something, lose to gain. It was basics wasn't it? You learn it at an early age; you have to earn things like rewards and good grades.

I couldn't understand how I was left with nothing after I'd given it all up. I closed my eyes. But did I have nothing? For years I didn't, ten years I lived with nothing but my strange abilities in which I took comfort. Was I getting things back after so long? Is that why they came back, to save me like I'd saved them? I was ready to leave. So very ready. Maybe I was reading too far into things like this, thinking that life had to be fair and crap. I mean when the town was set ablaze thousands of people, firefighters policemen, doctors alike all normal people, regular heroes that somehow get shortchanged with the infamous Danny Phantom around, they all gave up their lives to save others, people they didn't even know or maybe they didn't care. Some of those people they 'saved' that didn't even survive. What did they get in return? Especially when so many of them had died.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. I was reading too far into this. I closed my eyes. Things would be better once mom and dad came… wouldn't they? I didn't want to think about it anymore. I glanced down at my hands they were my human hands but with all the ghosts around I wasn't sure if I imagined the ghostly glow or not. I shifted, closed my eyes, opened them again, stared at the stars, stuck my tongue out, made weird faces, anything to pass the time.

A few ghosts were all that was left now. Where had the time gone? Hadn't just seconds ago there been thousands of ghosts converging on this spot thousands of ghosts dancing and playing. I stared off into space. Where did they all go? Where did time go? What?

"Huh?" I looked over Sam touched my arm and smiled.

"You were sitting so still I was wondering if you were on of Gerald's illusions." Sam said gesturing to a few still life ghosts around the place. Gerald was a ghost the specialized in them. They weren't illusions per say but rather really realistic life size figures. Though the figures could be made in different sizes big and small. I smiled.

"Nah, just me." I took Sam's hand in mine and kissed her cheek.

"You know what day tomorrow is right?" Sam smiled. I nodded.

"Yeah. Time flies right?" I returned the smiled. Sam looked over the town, my eyes glazed over as I stared toward the faint city sky line across the night sky. Sam began humming but stopped feeling awkward I guess. I glanced around there weren't many ghosts left. Gerald was leaving via a portal that had appeared courtesy of clockwork I would guess.

I closed my eyes once more. This horrible nightmare dream… it would end right? Once I left, things would begin, time would flow. Would there be meaning? I felt Sam put her arms around me as my mind drifted off.

(Warusa bakari no uddopekka)

I woke up groaning as the sound of a very angry driver practically crashed into the front door. I closed my eyes fixing the door then coming downstairs and angrily wrenching the door open to glare at the person who had disturbed my sleep. The Fenton RV was trying to park, a hulking figure of a man behind the wheel. My anger all dissolved, I ran out of the door jumping up and grabbing the door handle latching onto the side of the Fenton RV. My mom's startled face was inside the door. I must have scared her while she was busy trying to redirect my dad into the driveway. I grinned.

Mom looked at me for a minute then over at my dad who was staring at me. I smiled my face pressed up against the glass childishly.

"Hi." I smiled. Mom opened the door and I jumped out of the way, dad came around the front of the RV having jumped out as quickly as my mom and within seconds they were all hugging me happily. Mom stroking my hair and dad rubbing my back.

After a few moments mom and dad pulled back and searched me.

"Well I can't say you've grown much son." Dad said putting his hand on my head. I shook it off.

"Daaaaad!" I said. I looked at him, "Loving the hair though." I smiled. Dad ran a hand through his hair which only had a few strands of black running through. Mom's hair was going white too, but she still had more color in her hair then dad had. But then again, considering how much dad had left… it wasn't hard to have more color than him. I think the only one with more white in their hair would be me as Phantom. I smiled and waved them both in. Jazz was coming out of the basement she smiled at me briefly. She was so old looking. Actually she looked a bit like mom when mom was young, if mom had long hair.

"Hi mom, hi Danny." Jazz said. She then turned to the kitchen where the smell of lunch was coming from. Smelled like BLTs which I loved minus the toast. We walked in. My bread was untoasted. Thank god. We sat down and all stared at each other for a while.

"So Danny boy, you've been living here the whole time?" Dad asked. I nodded taking a bite out of me BLT.

"Yeah… it's not that bad. I mean there aren't any of the old idiots that used to bother me really. Plus I've made good with the ghosts. We did have a huge party last night, and even if we all aren't on the greatest terms we do have plenty of truces. Well there are a few that aren't included in the truce but last night was a ghost zone wide thing I think. There was a whole bunch of ghosts around, and even Skulker who is still hunting me was there. He wasn't happy that's for sure but he was there." I smiled.

"Oh! And Sam is here, and Tucker and Jazz… well you already knew Jazz was here obviously… and there was my high school reunion back two days ago… that was a nightmare." I laughed, "For some more than others." I shrugged, "Other than that not much has changed… well." I touched my chest, "I'm no longer tethered to this town… but since I _am_ a ghost, even if it is just half, so I'm sure my ghost half has fixated onto something else… I'm not sure what that is yet. I have this theory that that's why I had so much trouble with my powers at first because I had no obsession so my ghost half was unstable. Well it's not really like I can prove it but…" I noticed Mom and Dad crying.

"What?" I asked. Mom took my hand which had been waving around as I got to talking and she kissed my fingertips.

"We're just so happy you're alive." Mom said squeezing my hand. I blushed and my eyes began to water to.

"Yeah… I am too… I mean…" I laughed, "I mean I'm happy that I lived to see you guys again… even… if I'm like this." I said getting emotional, "I'm not very good with words." Dad took my other hand like Mom did and really… I didn't think there was need for many words. Eventually we had all stood up and Mom and Dad had pulled me into a hug. A few seconds later we roped Jazz into it. I smiled and let myself relax into their arms. It wasn't magical, or world changing, earth shattering or any other cliché… it just was. There is no way to describe it really. I just… was.

After the hug ended we spent a while talking about what had happened in the years. Apparently my parents had gotten a huge job offering to build ghost protective things all over the country after Amity Park was destroyed. Even though business had died down they were still living comfortably and selling other non-ghost related inventions on the side more as a hobby. It wasn't like Tucker's Technological Empire but it was pretty cool. Mom and Dad shared stories about things that had happened while I was gone, funny little stories like Dad getting stuck in a revolving door and things like that.

It still was early, though and Sam walked in the door a few minutes later. I grinned still in my pajamas and Sam rolled her eyes then gave Mom and Dad a quick hug.

"You do realize it is lunchtime don't you." Sam scolded. I folded my arms.

"Anyone who wakes me up before five pm on a weekend is crazy… but I think I can make an exception." I teased. Sam laughed.

"At least get dressed and take a shower, you smell." Sam said. I stuck out my tongue and finished off my sandwich.

"It's only twelve, it isn't even one yet." I protested. Sam rolled her eyes again, "If you keep doing that your eyes will fall out." I said. Mom laughed but put her hand on mine.

"Take a shower sweetie we'll still be here." Mom assured. I smiled then went upstairs.

(Kyomon anake moribor no darake)

I stepped into the living room wearing my usual attire I smiled at my family and my best friends who were chatting on the couch smiling. If I did leave there were still things to be discussed. Still things like where I would stay. What would happen with me? Would I go to school? I had graduated after all and was by the date on my birth certificate twenty eight some years. But I was biologically fourteen so that didn't work too well either. I caught Sam's eye and she smiled at me Mom noticing and turning her head. Mom stood and pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around her.

Yes I was a twenty eight year old man, but I was still biologically fourteen. And yes I did miss my mom. Unless you have issued with your parents and or hate their guts I'm sure even when you're fifty some you'll probably still miss your parents. Maybe not as much but you get the idea.

I pulled away from my mom gasping for breath.

"Mom, can't breathe." I choked out warning her. Mom let go holding my shoulders and staring at me.

"Um…" I looked at the ground, "There's something I have to show you." I confessed. Mom nodded Dad too. I shuffled a little bit.

"Well… going ghost!" I called out hesitantly. The two white rings split and I stood there in all my ghostly glory. Mom and Dad looked slightly shocked. We'd discussed it but they still seemed shocked. I guess me telling them and showing them were two different things. The tiniest darkest thought sprung into my mind that maybe they wouldn't accept me. They after all had had nearly a decade to reject me and they might not even know who I was anymore and accuse me of what I had claimed happened to me when I scared off the reunion goers.

But in one swift motion both my mom and my Dad were hugging me. Tucker joined pulling Angie and Sam in. Derek pulling in Valerie and my sister giving up her pride and joining in as well.

Eventually it died off I pulled away and wiped my eyes, successfully proving that ghosts could cry.

"Well… I think that's enough of this lovey dovey stuff for one day. Sam is gonna puke on me if we keep this up." I teased. Sam punched my shoulder. I turned intangible and it went through. Dad and mom smiled and I stuck at my tongue at her.

"I'll get you the ghost gauntlets." Dad said leaving.

"What!" I checked out, "No… Dad come back… Dad? DAD!"

I think that's a cute place to leave it.

So cute I'm gonna go barf a kitten.

Alright. The long awaited chapter dun dun dun.

That was amazing guys please continue to support me. We're almost done

CON-SAN OUT!


	17. Chapter 17

**For those of you who can play "High Hopes" by Pink Floyd while you read this chapter. It gives a haunting feeling while playing in the background. This is how I designed the chapter.**

Well there wasn't much to leave after all really, not when there was so much on the outside waiting for me. Not when there was Mom and Dad and Sam and Tucker and Jazz and Valerie and even Derek and Angie out there. Though I think Angie was still a little wary of me. I turned off the portal, the glow that had haunted me for fourteen years of my life, the one that gave me these powers, that glow faded and flickered out of existence some ectoplasmic residue left on the ground. Mom and Dad packed up the weapons surprised by any of my modifications and dad trying to get me to be enthusiastic about joining the family business. He even promised to show me some of his moves.

Sam and Tucker all live in different cities now though… that's a bit sadder, Tucker lives all the way in California while Sam is just a couple of towns away. Valerie lives in New York with Derek Jazz was too. I stared at my old room. It was kind of sad to be leaving; there was so many memories here, so many good things. I sighed touching the door frame and staring at my bed my bags were in the RV with everything else, there wasn't any room for me to ride with my parents though Dad did try to make a small space. In the end I wound up riding with Sam which I had no trouble with. I stared at the room before turning away and closing the door a smile on my face as I walked down the stairs.

It was a long road that I had walked, my path over grown as Clockwork said. A long slow life where my child hood dreams had been ticked away by the hands of time when I had chosen to stay in this town. The long amount of time I stayed in this town this long, long, long, life. It was endless, a long march through a tunnel, and I was ready to move on. I was ready to grow to live and when the time came to die.

I opened the door breathing in the fresh air the green grass. The sun beating down shining over the road brighter than I had ever felt before. Maybe it was just because thing were so much better now. With my friends standing in the road waiting for me, my parents all in a crowd around the house. Everything was wondrous, things had changed. There was a purpose, there where high hopes. There was a future.

As we left the town I looked back at my home at the glowing embers of the fire as the town decayed without my presence. But there was a green on the other side of the hill a bright vibrant green. It occurred to me I was finally moving forward walking down my path not sleepwalking back through my old life. This was it. My heart jumped at it was taken out of that town out of city limits like the tides. I felt higher than ever before ready to fly away from my troubles I stared in wonder out of the window. I was out! It was an amazing feeling, awesome and inspiring, dreamlike, this was a dream come true. I laughed looking over at Sam feeling euphoric.

Sam smiled at me happily glad I was happy I would assume. I smiled wider waiting for a tomorrow. Waiting for the hope of the next day there was change in the world, in my world. I glanced once more back to the now ruins of Amity Park. It wasn't so sad any more. It was dark over there, a long prison no longer the home it once was. It was a prison I was glad to be free of. I was free. I laughed again feeling amazing feeling happy feeling like some god was smiling at me again. That the dark years of my life the suicide attempts the long sad songs I played day by day would never plague me again that I would be forever with the people I love. This was it, it wasn't repairing the town, and it was just getting out. That with each building I fixed I built my prison stronger and eventually Sam and Tucker and Jazz and Mom and Dad and Valerie had pulled me free. Free, you could never understand that word as I do now. It is an amazing word, something to always be sought for, fought over, and protected. Sam turned on the radio. Soft piano keys of the bridge of a song. They were light, yet sad almost longing yet in the way you miss days gone by. I blinked staring at the radio.

"Encumbered forever by desire and ambition

There's a hunger still unsatisfied

Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon

Though down this road we've been so many times"

I was now on the road out of Amity park…

"The grass was greener

The light was brighter

The taste was sweeter

The nights of wonder

With friends surrounded

The dawn mist glowing

The water flowing

The endless river…"

And let me tell you things had never been better. I smiled over at Sam and took her hand in mine.

"Danny?" Sam said looking at me.

"Forever and ever." The song finished. I smiled at Sam.

"Forever and ever." I repeated, "I'll always be here, I'll always come back, I'll always keep living so long as I have you and a reason to live for." I told her.

"Danny?" Sam said. I smiled at her.

"Its over Sam. I'm out, I'm free." I smiled at her. Sam smiled back then squeezed my hand which I just then realized was bigger than hers once again.

"I suppose this is the end then." Sam said staring back at the city shrinking in the distance.

"Yes… this is the end, the end of this beginning." I smiled the leaned over taking the Sam's face in my hand the other still holding her other and I kissed her.

**Well that is the end…**

**Of this arc**

**I was going to make a sequel but I think I'll just finish the rest here starting the second arc unless you vote otherwise, please I value your opinion.**

**Also we made it to 200 reviews thank you everyone, I am currently only answering reviews in PMs and even that is sketchy because I am trying to update like crazy.  
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**Thank you everyone who reviewed, Favorited, and Alerted.  
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**Con-San - out  
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